AP government sidesteps governor’s views on information commissioners

Deccan Herald: Hyderabad: Monday, February 04, 2013.

The Andhra Pradesh government appears to be on a collision course with Governor E S L Narasimhan over the appointment of information commissioners with political backgrounds.

The Kiran Kumar Reddy government has apparently decided to go ahead with four candidates who were rejected by the governor last year. The government has sent the file to Raj Bhavan, recommending the names of former civil judge Imtiaz Ahmed, former zilla parishad member Tantiya Kumari, M Vijaya Nirmala of the Praja Rajyam Party and Youth Congress leader V Venkateswarlu.

Narasimhan had rejected their candidature and approved of four others when the proposal was first sent to him. He had returned the file to the chief minister in February last year, advising him to reconsider the matter. The decision came in the wake of public pressure to cancel the appointments and start the selection process afresh.

Representatives of NGOs and RTI activists had alleged that the government violated the spirit of the RTI Act by turning the institution into a “political rehabilitation center.” A year later, the government seems to have stuck to its choice. The file was sent to the governor, seeking his clearance, indicating a rift. According to convention, the governor cannot return the file again.

“The governor’s office has received the file. He is yet to go through it,” Raj Bhavan sources said. Narasimhan might consult legal experts before proceeding further on the matter.

Meanwhile, a review petition filed by the Union government in the Supreme Court, regarding the appointment of information commissioners, is pending final disposal. The Centre had challenged the apex court’s stipulation that people with legal background be instated as information commissioners.

Meanwhile, the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) has condemned the state government’s move and threatened to move the high court, challenging the appointment of individuals with political background as information commissioners.

“We will approach the governor as well, requesting him not to accept the government’s choice,” said NCPRI convener B Ramakrishna Raju.