Introduction

Under the Right to Information Act, 2005 a statutory body was set up under the Indian Government which is known as the Central Information Commission (CIC). It was set up to work on the complaints from the people who are not able to propose information requests to the Central or the State public information officer due to either unavailability of the officer or the officer denied to accept the application to obtain information under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The committee consists of one Chief Information Commissioner and a maximum of 10 information commissioners.

Right to Information Act, 2005

This Act directs proper response to the citizens’ appeal for Government information. The main motive behind RTI is to empower the citizens, boost transparency and liability in the doings of the Government, curb corruption and make the government and democracy work for the people. Let’s read about Right to Information in a few points:

  • RTI allows and gives freedom and rights to the citizens of India to ask some admissible questions to the Government and some public utility services.
  • Freedom of Information was replaced by the Right to Information Act, 2005.
  • RTI will also help the people of India to get their applications or official work on time as they can ask the authorities why the particular is getting delayed.
  • One of the main goals is to make India corruption-free.

This was a short brief about what RTI is and why CIC was introduced in India.

Key Points

Let’s talk about some key points about Central Information Commission (CIC):

Formation

CIC of India was established in 2005 by the Central Government, under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Commissioners

There cannot be more than one Chief Information Commissioner and a maximum of ten Information Commissioners.

Appointment 

The Commissioners are appointed by a President of India with the help of a committee which consists of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Minister selected by the Prime Minister.

Administration

The administration covers all Central Public Authorities.

Tenure

The term is selected by the Central Government or till the age of 65 years. They cannot be reappointed once their tenure is over.

Role of CIC

The role of CIC of India is as follows:

  • The main role of CIC is to accept the complaint of a person related to the information requested under RTI, 2005 and inquire into the same.
  • An inquiry can be ordered by the CIC of India on the basis of legitimate grounds.
  • The CIC obtains the power of a civil court while inquiring on a complaint.

Drawbacks

There are a few drawbacks of CIC of India which can be stated as follows:

  • Backlog and setbacks:
  1. On an average, the CIC processing time is 388 days to deal with a complaint by a person.
  2. According to a report from last year, 2.2 lakh complaints are still pending At both the CIC and SIC.
  • No Punishments:
  1. According to a report, government officials barely face any penalties for violating the laws.
  2. An analysis shows that about 59% of violations occurred where penalty should have been imposed but it was imposed in only 2.2% of cases.
  • Job Vacancies:

Even after the orders from the court, there are still three vacancies in the CIC.

  • Lack of Clarity

The basis on which the commissioners are appointed has never been placed on records. Hence there is a lack of clarity and confidence in the selection of the commissioners for CIC.

Conclusion

CIC is a good initiative by the Indian Government and it can prove to be an advantage for all the citizens of India, but the drawbacks such as the CIC processing time which is approximately (388 days) should be reduced, the number of pending cases which sums up to 2.2 lacs should be curbed down as soon as possible, the vacancies in the CIC should be filled at the earliest so that the workforce will increase and it will also help to speed up the process of resolution of complaints. Last but not least transparency should be increased in terms of the election, the appointment of the commissioners, etc.