Is Central Information Commission at war with itself?

Hailed for freeing the common man from the clutches of the bureaucracy, the Central Information Commission (CIC) now seems to be stuck in the same muddle.

In 2008, when Mumbai-based Right to Information (RTI) activist Shailesh Gandhi took charge as information commissioner at the CIC, he furnished his property details to CIC chief Wajahat Habibullah for uploading on the commission’s website.

However, it was not uploaded. Subsequently, at a CIC meeting in 2008, a decision was taken to get the information on what other commissions are doing regarding details of assets. It thrice sought such information from the Election Commission (EC) to determine its practice, but the EC is yet to respond to the query.

Pune-based RTI activist Vihar Durve has also sought the property details of all information commissioners at the CIC, including Gandhi, from the commission itself. But failing to get a satisfactory reply, he filed another appeal before the CIC.

During the hearing, Durve said he was in correspondence with Gandhi, who has no objection to disclosing his property details. Such disclosure, according to Durve, is in public interest, particularly in light of action taken by the Supreme Court, it would be noteworthy that property statement of information commissioners be placed on the CIC website.

However, CIC chief Wajahat Habibullah said in his order, “On the question of disclosure of Gandhi’s property statement, Gandhi is a third party and therefore, his agreement to disclosure of this information will be sought within next 5 days.”   

Habibullah also directed a CIC official “to expedite the process of obtaining feedback to the reference made to the EC to enable the commission to take a decision in the matter of property statements of information commissioners.”