HC directs state to explain CIC selection process, grants 4 weeks

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court has directed the state government to file a response within four weeks regarding a petition challenging the appointment process of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and state information commissioners. Justice P P Sahu issued the directive following a preliminary hearing on the petition, which alleges a failure to follow prescribed provisions during the selection process.The petition, filed by counsel Ali Asgar on behalf of Rajnandgaon resident Pradeep Sharma, claims that several serious irregularities occurred, raising questions about transparency and fairness. Sharma states that the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the Namit Sharma and Anjali Bhardwaj cases were not followed.A key allegation in the petition concerns a conflict of interest in the interviews. It claims that Amitabh Jain, who was the chief secretary of the Chhattisgarh government, was interviewed for the post of CIC by his own subordinates. These subordinates included additional chief secretaries and members of the search committee.The petition also alleges inconsistency in eligibility. It states that in 2024, two candidates were initially deemed ineligible for the post of information commissioner, yet they were declared eligible and selected for the commission just six months later.Furthermore, the petitioner challenged the grading system used during the selection. Instead of a traditional numerical marking system, an ‘A, B, C' grading scale was employed. The petition argues that there was no clear marking table for experience or interviews, which deprived qualified candidates of a fair opportunity.Additional Advocate General Yashwant Singh Thakur appeared on behalf of the state government during the hearing. The matter of appointment of information commissioners in all states has been continuously monitored by the Supreme Court.