Former IB chief among 3 new Information Commissioners at CIC

NEW DELHI: The government has shortlisted a former chief of Intelligence Bureau, a banker and a former bureaucrat as three new Information Commissioners at the transparency panel CIC.

Former IB Chief Rajiv Mathur, former Environment Secretary Vijai Sharma and Syndicate Bank Chairman and Managing Director Basant Seth have been shortlisted as new faces at the Central Information Commission which is overburdened with over 20,000 pending appeals under the Right to Information Act, official sources said.

A panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh which included Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj shortlisted the names of these people recently, they said.

According to the RTI Act, the complete strength of the transparency panel is a Chief Information Commissioner and 10 Central Information Commissioners. As of now there are just five Information Commissioners leaving a shortage of five.

A formal announcement on the appointment would be made shortly, they said.

Mathur, a 1972 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has served IB for nearly three decades including 15 years in Washington. He took over the reigns of the agency in January 2009, before retiring on December 31, 2010.

Sharma, a 1974 batch IAS officer, from Uttar Pradesh cadre, was secretary in Union Environment Ministry before his superannuation in December 2010.

He held number of positions in the state including State Housing Secretary, State Environment Secretary and Chairman of State Pollution Control Board among others.

Seth who is the CMD of Syndicate Bank, Bangalore has held senior positions in Small Industries Development Bank and Bank of India.