New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government may take a decision on the appointment of chiefs of Central Information Commissioner (CIC) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on Monday.
A meeting of a Prime Minister-led panel has been called today at the PM's residence and will be attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, official sources said.
The names for the post of information commissioners in CIC and vigilance commissioners in CVC are also likely to be finalised in today's meeting, as per PTI.
Earlier this month, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi had questioned the delay in appointments of chiefs of CIC, CVC and Lokpal by the Modi government.
Many RTI activists have also questioned the delay in appointments.
The CIC, which is mandated to resolve appeals and complaints filed against government departments or public authorities by information seekers under the Right to Information Act, has been working without a chief for over nine months.
Three posts of information commissioners in the CIC are also vacant.
Sources said there are 203 applicants, including all seven information commissioners, for the post of the Chief Information Commissioner and 553 for the post of information commissioners.
Under the RTI Act, the CIC has one chief and 10 information commissioners.
In CVC, the term of Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar had ended on September 28 last year, while vigilance commissioner J M Garg completed his tenure on September 7.
Sources said the government has received about 130 applications for the two posts.
May 23 meeting inconclusive
The Prime Minister-led selection committees which had earlier met on May 23 could not arrive at a decision on the appointment of chiefs of CIC and CVC.
"The meeting was held in amicable atmosphere. There were certain more information and details to be obtained in reference of the candidates under consideration. Therefore, it was decided that another meeting will be called next week at a mutually-convenient date," Union Minister Jitendra Singh had then told PTI.
SC's order on appointment of chiefs of CIC, CVC
The Supreme Court had on May 13 lifted its embargo and had allowed the Centre to go ahead with the appointment of CVC and a Vigilance Commissioner from the list of candidates shortlisted by it.
The apex court had on December 17, 2014 asked the Centre to take its prior "leave" before going ahead with the appointment for which 10 candidates each have been shortlisted after scrutinising 130 applications received in response to the advertisement issued in this regard.
"Keeping in view the urgency for appointment of the CVC and vigilance commissioner, the posts which have been vacant since last few months, we allow to make the appointments," a bench comprising Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy had said.
The bench had directed that after making the appointments, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi would place before it the entire records and materials including the list of candidates who applied for the two posts.
Further, the bench had clarified that it will be open for all the parties to come up with their contentions.
The Attorney General had said the stage has come when the PIL filed on the issue required to be closed and anyone having any grievance can move the apex court later.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO which had filed the PIL, had raised some objections to the appointment of the Committee comprising three secretaries, saying the procedure adopted was contrary to the law that envisaged a panel comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Home Minister for the purpose.
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Centre for Integrity, Governance and Training in Vigilance Administration alleging that the government was going ahead with the appointment of CVC and VC without giving wide publicity to the vacancies arising following completion of tenure of CVC Pradip Kumar and the then VC J M Garg.
Kumar and Garg completed their tenure on September 28 and September 7 respectively last year.
The apex court had earlier rapped the Centre for lack of transparency in the selection process of CVC and VC, following which government gave the assurance that no final decision will be taken without its nod.
The Supreme Court had said lack of transparency in selection process of CVC and VCs promoted "favouritism and nepotism" and had asked why only bureaucrats were picked for the posts and not common people.
The PIL had referred to the July 21, 2014 letter issued by the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), to Secretaries in the government to suggest names for empanelment for the post of CVC and VC, allegedly aimed at keeping away common people.
The NGO had contended the Centre ought to have similar procedure for making appointment of CVC and VCs as is being done for filling up the post of chairperson and eight posts of members in the Lokpal under the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
(With PTI inputs)
