Sir,
This refers to the article “RTI : Again a toothless tiger” by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The author has rightly called RTI a toothless tiger because in absence of State Information Commission , RTI Act cannot be implemented in letter and spirit in Jammu & Kashmir. Before few months of Dr SK Sharma’s retirement in October 2015 from the post of Information Commissioner , Government was supposed to complete the formalities of appointing a new Information Commissioner. This did not happen until Dr Sharma retired. Govt again failed to appoint new Chief Information Commissioner after G R Sufi retired early this year. Now the 3rd Information Commissioner Nazir Ahmad also retired on November 17th and nobody is bothered to make State Information Commission operational. This ugly development will discourage people from using Right to Information Act. Chief Minister , Leader of Opposition and Deputy Chief Minister should soon meet to fill the three vacancies of Information Commissioners. I support Dr Muzaffar’s demand that Information Commission should be non bureaucratic and new Commissioners should not be retired IAS or IPS officers only. Some senior journalists ,retired Judges , academicians or social activists can also be appointed as Information Commissioners. J&K RTI Act 2009 and even Central RTI Act of 2005 nowhere says that Information Commissioners should be former bureaucrats or police officers only.
Yours etc….
B A Bhat
Advocate
J&K High Court , Srinagar
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