With RTI fading, SC asks govt. to fill up vacancies in CIC, SICs

Sub : Polity

Sec: National bodies

Context:

The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the significant vacancies in the Central Information Commission (CIC), which currently has eight out of 11 sanctioned posts unfilled.
This lack of appointments was seen as a failure in fulfilling the mandate of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which ensures transparency in governance.
In addition to the CIC, the Supreme Court’s scrutiny also extended to various State Information Commissions (SICs), which have similarly faced severe vacancies.

Central Information Commission (CIC):

CIC is a statutory body constituted under section 12 of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
CIC consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
They are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
The members shall hold office for a term of three years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They are not eligible for reappointment.

State Information Commission (SIC):

It is an independent, statutory committee formed under the RTI Act to ensure freedom of information to citizens. It has jurisdiction over state government bodies, PSU and authorities.
It comprises of chief information commissioner and up to 10 information commissioners. All are appointed by the governor on recommendation of committee consisting of chief minister, cabinet minister nominated by him and leader of opposition in legislative assembly.
After RTI Amendment 2019, the tenure of central and state information commissioners has now been reduced from five to three years.