New Delhi: Sudhir Bhargava is appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) by the Indian government. Along with appointment of chief, four new Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission are also appointed.
In the Central Information Commission, there are 11 approved posts of Information Commissioners, including the Chief Information Commissioner, but it was working with just three Information Commissioners.
President Ram Nath Kovind has approved the appointment of former IFS officer Yashwardhan Kumar Sinha, former IRS officer Vanaja N Sarna, former IAS Neeraj Kumar Gupta and former Law Secretary Suresh Chandra as Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission, a government order accessed.
After recent retirements of Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur and Information Commissioners Yashovardhan Azad, Sridhar Acharyulu and Amitava Bhattacharyya, the Commission, the highest adjudicating authority in RTI matters, was left with three Information Commissioners,. this prompted activists to approach the Supreme Court on the issue of vacancies.
Sudhir Bhargava is 1979 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre and currently special secretary in ministry of petroleum and natural gas appointed as secretary, department of social justice and empowerment. He is oppointed as the replacement of Anil Goswami. Goswami was earlier named as the new home secretary.