Rules for appointment of Joint Secretary and above to be disclosed under RTI
4 Mar, 2012
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ordered for the disclosure of rules for appointment of joint secretary level officers and above at the Centre holding that the framing of the rule and its subsequent relaxation cannot be classified as Cabinet Papers.
The appellant had sought to know details of the rules for the appointments and subsequent changes in it along with the file noting. He wanted copies of the changes made in the statutes which reportedly resulted in appointment of P J Thomas as Union Secretary. The Cabinet Secretariat refused to make the documents public citing Section 8 (1)(i) of the RTI Act which prohibits disclosure of cabinet documents. The Central Information Commission (CIC) held that the framing of the rule and its subsequent relaxation cannot be classified as Cabinet Papers.
Mr. Thomas had joined as Parliament Affairs Secretary in 2009 before his appointment as Telecom Secretary. Later his appointment as the Central Vigilance Commissioner was quashed by the Supreme Court on March 3, 2011.