New Chief of Central Information Commission Sworn in by President Murmu

In a significant development, Heeralal Samariya officially assumed the role of Chief of the Central Information Commission (CIC) following his swearing-in ceremony on Monday. President Droupadi Murmu presided over the oath-taking, filling the void that had persisted since Y K Sinha’s term concluded on October 3. This appointment marks a crucial step in preserving the vitality of the Right to Information law, which had been at risk due to the vacancy in the CIC. As of now, there are only two Information Commissioners in the Commission, although it can accommodate up to ten Information Commissioners. The appointment follows the Supreme Court’s directive on October 30, urging both the central and state governments to expedite the appointment process to prevent the Right to Information law from becoming ineffective. In response to the pressing issue of vacancies in the CIC and state information commissions (SICs), the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has been tasked with gathering essential data from all states, including the sanctioned capacity of information commissioners in the SICs, current vacancies, and the total number of pending cases.