<p>At least 10 RTI activists including environmentalist from Gujarat Amit B Jethwa, who had filed a number of RTI applications regarding illegal activists in Gir, national activists Sunil Shetty from Pune, Shashidhar Mishra from Bihar and Datta Patil from Kolhapur were brutally murdered during the year.<br /><br />The killings came as a rude shock to the transparency movement in the country leading to demands from activists for framing special provisions in the law for protecting such whistleblowers.<br /><br />The then Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah expressed solidarity with the demands but expressed helplessness in the protection of these activists.<br /><br />He was of the view that such crimes can be dealt with the existing Indian Penal Code. <br /><br />The government also said it is not considering to bring any law or amendments to protect these activists and such attacks can be handled with present laws.<br /><br />Another major development which stirred the hornet's nest was the process of selection of information commissioners across the country.<br /><br />The tug of war continued as activists demanded transparency in the process and proper rules mentioning eligibility criteria while the government stuck to existing selection procedure.<br /><br />The year saw three incumbents in the post of Chief Information Commissioner at the Central Information Commission and government preferred only former bureaucrats.<br /><br />Former IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah retired on September 30 after a successful five-year tenure at the transparency panel. The government appointed Information Commissioner A N Tiwari, a former secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, as his successor even as his remaining tenure was just three months.<br /><br />After Tiwari's retirement, Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra, former bureaucrat and former secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, was selected to continue as new Chief Information Commissioner.<br /><br />Information Commissioner M M Ansari was appointed as an interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir.<br /><br />By the end of the year, with no new information commissioners appointed at the CIC, the transparency panel is left with just six commissioners which includes Mishra.</p>
<p>At least 10 RTI activists including environmentalist from Gujarat Amit B Jethwa, who had filed a number of RTI applications regarding illegal activists in Gir, national activists Sunil Shetty from Pune, Shashidhar Mishra from Bihar and Datta Patil from Kolhapur were brutally murdered during the year.<br /><br />The killings came as a rude shock to the transparency movement in the country leading to demands from activists for framing special provisions in the law for protecting such whistleblowers.<br /><br />The then Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah expressed solidarity with the demands but expressed helplessness in the protection of these activists.<br /><br />He was of the view that such crimes can be dealt with the existing Indian Penal Code. <br /><br />The government also said it is not considering to bring any law or amendments to protect these activists and such attacks can be handled with present laws.<br /><br />Another major development which stirred the hornet's nest was the process of selection of information commissioners across the country.<br /><br />The tug of war continued as activists demanded transparency in the process and proper rules mentioning eligibility criteria while the government stuck to existing selection procedure.<br /><br />The year saw three incumbents in the post of Chief Information Commissioner at the Central Information Commission and government preferred only former bureaucrats.<br /><br />Former IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah retired on September 30 after a successful five-year tenure at the transparency panel. The government appointed Information Commissioner A N Tiwari, a former secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, as his successor even as his remaining tenure was just three months.<br /><br />After Tiwari's retirement, Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra, former bureaucrat and former secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, was selected to continue as new Chief Information Commissioner.<br /><br />Information Commissioner M M Ansari was appointed as an interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir.<br /><br />By the end of the year, with no new information commissioners appointed at the CIC, the transparency panel is left with just six commissioners which includes Mishra.</p>