The priority of the Central Information Commission will be to check vexatious petitions and mounting backlog of cases, its new chief Vijai Sharma said here on Wednesday.
Mr. Sharma, who was administered the oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee, said working of the registry of the Commission will also be improved to ensure cases do not pile up.
“[What we need to check] is genuine applications getting crowded out by applications which some may prescribe as vexatious or frivolous. This is a very important angle which needs to be explored. And it is very important that we come out with an objective criteria within the Right to Information Act,” he told reporters after the swearing-in.
Mr. Sharma said the internal technology system needs to be enhanced so that it can find out duplicate RTI applications.
“The endeavour of the Commission will be to make available maximum information in the public domain so that there is no need to file RTI applications,” he said.
Besides Mr. Sharma, K.V. Chowdary was also sworn in as the Central Vigilance Commissioner.
“Mr. Chowdary, a former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, had earlier said his focus would be to protect whistle-blowers and ensure “no personal vendetta” in vigilance-related work.
“My priorities will be to strengthen the overall work of the Central Vigilance Commission and focus on preventive vigilance. It would be important for me to see that disciplinary proceedings are completed in a time-bound manner so that no one is harassed.
“The Commission will aim at strengthening the overall vigilance work and promote transparency in decision-making,” he had said.
The posts of CVC and CIC were lying vacant for over nine months. While the Central Vigilance Commission is at full strength now, the Central Information Commission still has vacancy for three Information Commissioners.
