Four months after the High Court's directive, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to fill vacancies in the State Information Commission, including the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
A public advertisement had been issued late last week seeking applications from eligible candidates.
At present, a post of CIC and 10 posts of Information Commissioners are lying vacant since December.
According to the advertisement, the interested candidate should be a person of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass-media or administration and governance.
Hearing a PIL filed by RTI activist Ajay Dubey, the High Court in January had directed the Madhya Pradesh government to fill up vacant posts of commissioners in the state's transparency watchdog.
Dubey had filed the Public Interest Litigation seeking appointments of CIC and ICs through public advertisements.
"Madhya Pradesh has become the first state which is appointing CIC and ICs through public advertisement. It is a big move to bring in transparency in the governance," Dubey said.
"Though, the time given to apply for the post is less. The advertisement was issued on June 13 and candidates have been given 12 days time to apply (till June 25)," the activist said.
In 2005, the Madhya Pradesh government had appointed T N Shrivastava as CIC who had been superannuated in 2006. The commission was without its CIC between 2006-07.
In 2007, P P Tiwari was appointed as CIC and D C Jugran, Iqbal Ahmad and Mahesh Pandey were appointed as ICs, all of whom retired last year.
According to latest data updated till January, about 11,441 appeals and complaints under Right to Information Act are pending with the Madhya Pradesh Information Commission.
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