Info panel loses men and muscle
At the start of 2015, the SIC was a six-member body, including CIC Siby Mathews
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Information Commission has virtually ceased to function. With chief information commissioner going on a three-month leave, the SIC is a deserted place except for a single information commissioner, C. S. Sasikumar.
As of now, there are 7,450 appeal petitions and 2,472 complaint petitions pending before the SIC.
At the start of 2015, the SIC was a six-member body, including CIC Siby Mathews. The RTI Act stipulates the maximum strength of the SIC as 10. Soni Thengamom, another IC, is reportedly bedridden. And the third IC, K. Natarajan, is under suspension. Two other ICs — Dr Kurias Kumbalakuzhy and M N Gunavardhanan — had retired on March 20 and April 15 this year, respectively.
Interestingly, the government is not taking any steps to expedite the probe against Natarajan and either reinstate or terminate his services. As the probe against him drags, Natarajan continues to draw subsistence wages applicable to the chief secretary of the state.
More seriously, nothing is being done to fill the vacancies of information commissioners. There is already a charge that ineligible candidates are appointed ICs. The RTI Act states that only “persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience” in certain prescribed fields should be appointed commissioners.
“It is evident from the biodata of Sony Thengamom, he has not even passed LLB. Hence, he can never be accepted as a person of eminence,” RTI activist M. T. Thomas said. Sources say that moves are afoot to appoint ICs but they are done flouting certain procedural requirements that have been insisted upon by the Supreme Court to ensure transparency.
It is mandated that the panel has to be drawn up after giving prior advertisements through the media. It is also laid down that the number of names proposed should be three times the existing vacancies. Both these requirements are blatantly ignored.