Retired IAS officers dominate RTI posts.

Deccan Herald: Sugandha Pathak, New Delhi: Friday, May 11, 2012.

With the completion of seven years of Right to Information Act on May 12, a study into the functioning of the information commissions established under it revealed that the majority of commissioners both at the state and central level  are retired IAS officers.

The study was conducted by an international NGO, commonwealth human rights initiative.

“Sections 12(5) and 15(5) of the central RTI Act contain a list of fields of experience and expertise from which candidates were chosen for filling up the posts of the chief information commissioner (CIC) and information commissioner at the central and s level, said the report.

These fields include law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media, administration and governance.

The process of choosing these officers is also under wraps,” added the report. Around 90 per cent of the serving CIC's are retired civil servants. The study also revealed that less than 15 per cent of the information commissioners are women with not a single eminent woman as the CIC across the country.

“The state information commissioner of Tripura is the only woman officiating as the state CIC also,” said the report.

Two CICs are from law background. “A retired High Court Judge heads the state information commission of Jharkhand while a retired city civil and sessions Judge heads Goa’s information commission,” added the report.

Around 22 per cent of the information commissioners either practiced or taught law prior to their appointment.

The acting state CIC in Maharashtra practiced as an advocate prior to his appointment, said the report.

Less than 10 per cent are from the field of journalism and mass media.

The information commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir has a background in science and technology. Odisha’s information commissioner has a background in social service.

Two information commissioners are from the fields other than the above mentioned fields.

One served as an officer with a UN agency while another was an entrepreneur-cum-RTI activist,” said the report.

Around 50 per cent membership of the Haryana state information commission is made up of retired IAS husband and wife duo.