Mail News Service
Ranchi, Mar 17: The long-pending appointment process for the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners in the Jharkhand State Information Commission has gained momentum after the BJP appointed Babulal Marandi as the Leader of Opposition.
The Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Official Language has forwarded a proposal to convene a selection committee meeting to finalize appointments. The committee, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, includes Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi and Minister Hafizul Hasan as members. The Chief Minister will now decide the date for the meeting.
On June 28, 2023, the Personnel Department had invited applications for one Chief Information Commissioner and six Information Commissioners. More than 35 applications were received for the Chief Information Commissioner post, while nearly 300 applications were submitted for Information Commissioner positions. However, these key positions have remained vacant for several years.
The issue had reached the Supreme Court and High Court due to prolonged delays. In a ruling on January 7, 2024, the Supreme Court directed the largest opposition party (BJP) to nominate an elected member as the Leader of Opposition for the selection committee within two weeks. The court emphasized that the appointment process must begin immediately after the nomination.
With the selection committee set to meet soon, the long-awaited process of appointing officials to the State Information Commission is now expected to move forward.
