Heeralal Samariya, a seasoned bureaucrat with an impressive career in public service, was sworn in as the Chief of the Central Information Commission (CIC) today. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office, making Mr. Samariya the first Dalit individual to hold this prestigious post.
The appointment of Heeralal Samariya comes as the top post of the transparency panel remained vacant after the conclusion of YK Sinha’s term on October 3. Mr. Samariya has a distinguished record in public service, having previously served as the Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The Central Information Commission, a key institution responsible for upholding transparency and accountability, is led by the Chief Information Commissioner and can have up to 10 information commissioners.
This appointment follows a directive from the Supreme Court issued on October 30, urging both central and state governments to expedite the filling of vacant positions within the Central and State Information Commissions. The Court warned that the effectiveness of the 2005 Right to Information Act would be compromised if these positions remained unfilled.
A bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, instructed the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to gather information from all states concerning the number of authorized information commissioners in State Information Commissions (SICs), the existing vacancies, and the total number of pending cases.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud emphasized, “The Right to Information Act of 2005 will become a dead letter” if these vacancies were not addressed promptly.
In December 2019, the Supreme Court had directed both central and state governments to fill all vacancies for information commissioners at the CIC and SICs within three months. The directive was issued with the aim of formulating guidelines to prevent the misuse of the Right to Information Act.
In addition to filling these vacancies, authorities were also directed to disclose the names of the search committee members responsible for selecting and appointing information commissioners (ICs) at the CIC on their respective websites.
Heeralal Samariya’s appointment is a significant step towards ensuring the effective functioning of the Right to Information Act and promoting transparency in governance.
Sources By Agencies