NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court was informed on Monday by Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for the petitioners, that despite its strict directions, vacant posts in the Central Information Commission (CIC) have not been filled.
“The CIC has been without a Chief since September 14, 2025, and of the 10 posts of Information Commissioners, eight remain vacant. The backlog of cases in the CIC has now reached 30,134,” Bhushan told a two-judge bench, headed by Justices Surya Kant and Bagchi, during the hearing on the non-appointment of Information Commissioners.
He further pointed out that vacancies persist in several state information commissions as well.
The apex court was hearing pleas filed by petitioners Anjali Bhardwaj, Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd), and Amrita Johri, seeking directions for the filling of vacancies in the Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions.
“The Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh SICs are completely defunct, with all posts, including that of the Chief, lying vacant. Citizens’ right to information is being frustrated due to the failure of governments to fill vacancies in the information commissions, leading to large backlogs and delays of over a year in the disposal of appeals and complaints,” the petitioners submitted.
The counsel for the Centre informed the court that the selection committee, consisting of the Prime Minister, a Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, is scheduled to meet on December 10, 2025.
After hearing the submissions, the Court directed all Chief Secretaries to file affidavits indicating the number of sanctioned posts in their respective State Information Commissions, the number of vacancies, and the backlog of appeals and complaints. The bench stated that the matter would be heard again in two weeks.
Bhushan also handed over a state-wise table indicating the number of sanctioned posts and vacancies for the court’s consideration.