Representative image of a police officer.
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Retired IAS, IPS officers and district judges, a former KPSC member are among the 184 persons, who have submitted applications for the post of the chief information commissioner and one post of information commissioner vested with the powers to decide on the applications filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI).
The Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), which is the final recourse for an RTI applicant to get information, has been in a crisis due to the vacancy of six posts of commissioner. The post of CIC also became vacant two months ago.
The state government had on June 11 invited applications from eligible candidates to fill the post of the CIC and information commissioner. Aspirants had to submit the applications to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) by July 15.
As per the information provided by the KIC, more than 35 of the applicants are retired officials, ranging from a retired chief engineer from the Public Works Department to retired IAS officers and judges.
Among the known names were retired IAS officers H R Mahadev, Mamata B R and Richard Vincent D’Souza; retired IPS officers Kamal Pant (former Bengaluru police commissioner), Sunil Agarwal, Ashit Mohan Prasad and S N Siddaramappa; at least five retired district judges and others. There were several retired officials from the government secretariat.
Sathyan seeks higher post
H C Sathyan, a former transport department employee, who was appointed information commissioner in 2022, despite a pending disproportionate assets case, has submitted application for the post of the CIC.
As per the latest information, the case filed by Lokayukta is ongoing in the Mysuru District and Sessions Court. The Karnataka High Court had last year served notice to the state government for appointing Sathyan despite the case.
J M Rajashekhar, an RTI activist based in Haveri, said governments have time and again betrayed the RTI Act. “It is unfortunate that the government even entertains applications from retired officers, who have lived on taxpayer’s money for their entire life. There is a dire need to strengthen the KIC in the interest of transparency in the governance. We urge the government to put aside political affiliations while making the selection,” he said.