Ex-Tamil Nadu chief secretary is state’s new RTI chief

CHENNAI - As expected, the Tamil Nadu government Wednesday appointed K.S. Sripathi the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), a day after he retired as the state’s chief secretary.

Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala had given his consent to the government’s proposal to appoint Sripathi as the CIC.

Sripathi was sworn in as the CIC by Barnala at Raj Bhavan Wednesday. He will serve for five years or till he turns 65, whichever is earlier.

Leader of Opposition and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa Aug 25 had declared that appointing the CIC without consulting her was illegal.

She had charged that the government did not provide her with requisite information on the appointment of the CIC.

As the Leader of Opposition, Jayalalithaa is one of the committee members that selects the person to be appointed as the CIC.

Meanwhile, three Right to Information Act (RTI) activists protesting the appointment of the new CIC were taken into custody by the police.