Government yet to finalise new RTI watchdog head
By IANSMonday, November 2, 2009
NEW DELHI - The central government is yet to decide on a new chief information commissioner of India (CIC), almost two weeks after Wajahat Habibullah quit the post to take up his new assignment as RTI watchdog in Jammu and Kashmir.
A committee consisting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily is to appoint the next CIC but the panel has not met as yet.
According to official sources, the present commissioners - M.M. Ansari and A.N. Tiwari - are among the top contenders for the post.
Habibullah, awaiting orders from Rashtrapati Bhavan to relieve him, said President Pratibha Patil has forwarded his resignation to the department of personnel.
There is nothing like a formal acceptance. The president has sent my resignation to the department of personnel and the committee has to appoint the new CIC, Habibullah told IANS.
They (the committee) have not met. They were supposed to meet on Oct 27. I don’t know when they are meeting, he said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra has already issued the orders of my appointment.
I will be joining when the committee finds a replacement, he said.
Habibullah said he would set up the commission in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible and his priority would be to establish transparency in the governance of the state, which has been rated by Transparency International as the second most corrupt in India.
I don’t go by statistics. There is no doubt that I will try to curb any corruption in the governance, Habibullah said.
Actor Aamir Khan, social activist Anna Hazare and Magsaysay winners Arvind Kejriwal and Sandeep Pandey are pitching for former police officer Kiran Bedi for the post.
Aamir Khan in a letter to Manmohan Singh Saturday sought the appointment of Bedi, a person who has demonstrated sensitivity, commitment and passion for public service.
“Bedi qualifies on all these fronts. She would bring honour to this post and provide justice,” wrote Aamir Khan.
Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Sandeep Pandey have also written to the prime minister, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Advani seeking the appointment of Bedi to the post.
In their letters, they have quoted a study by National RTI Awards secretariat that just 27 percent of people who approach information commissions get the information.
