HPAS/Allied Mains 2022 Answer Writing Challenge Day 106 : Model Answer

Question: Enumerate the issues associated with functioning of the Central Information Commission. (4 marks)

Answer: 

Issues in functioning of the commission are as follows:

1. Pendency of cases: In October 2020, the Commission had over 36,984 cases pending before it, which will require 15-18 months to be disposed of.
2. Vacancies and appointments: Appointments of the Chief Information Commissioners are alleged to be based on political considerations. There still remains a vacancy of 50 percent in the CIC.
3. Excessive government control: After the RTI Amendment Act, 2019, the Chief Information Commissioner now has a reduced fixed tenure of three years, which was earlier five years. Recently, the government withdrew the parity between the compensation of the Election Commissioners and the Information Commissioner’s (ICs) and gave itself powers to relax rules for CIC staff. Over the years, there has been a trend of an increasing number of bureaucrats being nominated as Chief Information Commissioners.
4. Returning of appeals: For every two cases the CIC registers, it rejects one appeal on the ground of inadequate documentation. About 77% of these returned cases are not filed.