Vijai Sharma tipped to be new CIC, KV Chowdary most likely the next CVC

The senior-most Information Commissioner, Vijai Sharma, is tipped to be the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), while the former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, KV Chowdary, is understood to be in the running for the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). The names are understood to have been cleared at the meetings Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday with the leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge. While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley attended the meeting on the selection of CIC, Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the one on CVC. Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh was present at the meetings. [caption id=“attachment_2274242” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] Information Commissioner Vijai Sharma. Image source: cic.gov.in[/caption] Sources indicated that Sharma, 64, could be named as Chief Information Commissioner, a post that has been lying vacant for over nine months. Chowdary, 61, is said to be the top contender for the other post, while the acting CVC, Rajiv, is also in the running, the sources said. “The panels have met and their recommendations have been sent to the President’s office. All the names against the vacant posts have been sent to the President. I cannot tell you the names. The meeting was confidential,” Kharge said after the meeting. Asked whether there was any disagreement on the names, he said there was no question of agreement or disagreement as of now. A formal announcement will be made after President Pranab Mukherjee gives his assent. The President is away on a five-day visit abroad and will return on Thursday. The last meeting of the panel held here on May 23 had remained inconclusive. Earlier last month, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi had attacked the Prime Minister over the delay in the appointments of chiefs of CIC, CVC and Lokpal saying the government feared transparency. Many RTI activists have also questioned the delay in appointments. The CIC, which is mandated to resolve appeals and complaints filed against government departments or public authorities by information seekers under the Right to Information Act, has been working without a chief for over nine months, after the tenure of CIC Rajiv Mathur ended on August 22, 2014. Three posts of information commissioners in the CIC are also vacant. Under the RTI Act, the CIC has one chief and 10 information commissioners. Sources said there were 203 applicants for Chief Information Commissioner and 553 for Information Commissioners. Under the RTI Act, the CIC has one chief and 10 Information Commissioners. In the CVC, the term of Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar ended on September 28 last year, while Vigilance Commissioner JM Garg completed his tenure on September 7. The government received about 130 applications for the two vacant posts at the anti-corruption watchdog, they said. PTI