Two senior and respected figures from Indian journalism, PR Ramesh, Editor of Open Magazine, and Ashutosh Chaturvedi, Editor of Prabhat Khabar, have been appointed as Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission (CIC).
Both appointees bring decades of experience in media, public affairs, and democratic discourse. Their appointment is being seen as a significant step, as professionals with deep understanding of transparency, governance, and citizens’ rights join the country’s apex transparency watchdog.
The Central Information Commission plays a crucial role in safeguarding the Right to Information (RTI), ensuring accountability and openness in public institutions.
Observers believe that the journalistic background of the new Information Commissioners will strengthen the Commission’s sensitivity towards information access, freedom of expression, and public interest.
The appointments have been welcomed in media and civil society circles, with many expressing confidence that their experience will contribute positively to the functioning of the CIC and reinforce the spirit of transparency in governance.
As per reports, former law secretary and retired 1990 batch IAS officer Rajkumar Goyal is likely to be named the chief of Central Information Commission, the final appellate authority for the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Apart from Journalist PR Ramesh and Ashutosh Chaturvedi, former Railway Board chairman Jaya Verma Sinha, former social justice and empowerment secretary Surendra Singh Meena, former IPS officer Swagat Das, former Indian Forest Service Officer Khushwant Singh Sethi, Sudha Rani Relangi and Sanjeev Kumar Jindal are likely to be appointed as information commissioners, according to sources. Jindal is also a retired IAS who was an additional secretary in home ministry.
With these appointments, the government has filled all the nine vacancies, including that of the chief, in the commission. Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari are the only two information commissioners at CIC presently.
With Ramalingam, there will be three women information commissioners at CIC -the highest ever representation of women on the panel, said a report from TOI.
