NEW DELHI: At the meeting of the high level committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to select the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and commissioners, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi submitted a dissent note on the lack of representation in the list from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC)s.
The committee met on Wednesday and is learnt to have decided on the appointment of CIC and eight Information Commissioners. Sources said the Leader of Opposition sought more details of the appointees and is learnt to have questioned the criterion adopted for the selection of Chief Information Commissioner and eight other Information Commissioners.
The meeting that lasted over an hour and a half was held at the office of the Prime Minister and was attended by Gandhi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Dissatisfied with the process of selection, the Leader of Opposition presented his dissent note. Details of the appointments decided were not known.
The government had earlier told the Supreme Court about this meeting to select names for these posts.
Under Section 12 (3) of the Right to Information Act, the prime minister is the chairperson of the committee, which also comprises the leader of opposition and a Union minister nominated by the prime minister, that selects and recommends the names for appointment as CIC and Information Commissioners.