CIC tells SC to explain arbitrator appointment rules

New Delhi: Rejecting the pretext on which the apex court did not entertain three RTI applications, the Central Information Commission today directed the Supreme Court to make public, rules relating to the appointment of its retired judges as arbitrators and medical reimbursement to judges during the last three years. Clubbing together three RTI applications of activist Subhash Agrawal, the Central Information Commission directed the apex court to disclose the list of resolutions passed by meetings of all the judges since 1997. [caption id=“attachment_55160” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Apex court has been directed to maintain information in digital format as mandated under RTI Act. Reuters”]  [/caption] The information sought in three separate applications was denied by the Supreme Court either on the grounds that it was personal in nature or it was not available in the form sought by Agrawal. Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra rejected the grounds cited by the Supreme Court for withholding the information, saying, “All offices funded by the State have to maintain accounts of all expenses made on such heads as medical records again to provide to the appellant within 15 days of receipt of this order.” He directed the Supreme Court to ensure that arrangements are made in future for maintaining such information in digital format as mandated under the RTI Act. PTI