CIC nod for sharing details on selection process, candidates

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has held that in any selection process, detailed information about successful candidates should be disclosed in order to ensure transparency in the selection process.

The CIC’s order came on a complaint filed last month by V. Praveen, Assistant Registrar with the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Delhi Benches.

Mr. Praveen was interviewed last year by the Union Public Service Commission for the post of Deputy Director in the Enforcement Directorate. As he did not get selected, he sought detailed information from the UPSC about the selection process.

The UPSC’s Chief Public Information Officer, however, gave Mr. Praveen only partial information.

The Assistant Registrar then moved the Appellate Authority. But the authority, too, did not rule in Mr. Praveen’s favour.

Mr. Praveen then appealed to the CIC. After going through the information provided by the CPIO and the Appellate Authority, CIC Satyananda Mishra directed that more information be provided to the appellant.

“If selection committee proceedings contain any document or record to show the break-up of marks given to the candidates on the basis of their bio-data, a copy of that record/document/proceeding containing such details about the appellant himself must much be disclosed,” the CIC said in its order.

But “if there is no such record or document in the selection committee proceedings, the CPIO shall clearly inform the appellant about that”, the CIC added.

Mr. Mishra further ordered the CPIO to provide Mr. Praveen information on “the marks awarded to other selected candidates”.

The CIC also ordered that a “copy of the criteria followed by the selection committee in assigning marks to the candidates under various heads as stipulated in the eligibility conditions notified in the advertisement for the post in the relevant recruitment rules” must be given.

The CIC ruling is significant as the UPSC does not release information about selected candidates as in their view it will amount to an invasion of their privacy.