Centre seeks review of Supreme Court verdict on CIC

The Centre today moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its verdict which held that only sitting or retired Chief Justices of High Courts or a Supreme Court judge can head the Central and State Information Commissions.

The governemnt pleaded that the apex court should have a relook at its September 12 order as it is against the provisions of the transparency law.

The apex court had in its judgement said that like other quasi judicial bodies, people from judicial background be also appointed as members of the Central and State Commissions which is to be done after consulting with the CJI and Chief Justice of the respective High Courts.

It had directed the governemnt to amend RTI Act for it.

"Chief Information Commissioner at the Centre or State level shall only be a person who is or has been a Chief Justice of the High Court or a judge of the Supreme Court of India," a bench of justices A K Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar had said.

The bench had passed the order on a PIL challenging section 12 and 15 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 enumerating the qualifications needed for the appointment of members to the commissions.

The bench, however, had refused to quash the sections but asked the government to modify it so that people from judicial background are also preferred for the post.

Currently, none of the eight members of the Central Information Commission (CIC), including the Chief Information Commissioner, is from judicial background.

The CIC comprises one Chief Information Commissioner and 10 Information Commissioners.