New Delhi: The Supreme Court recently called for the filling the vacant posts in central information commission (CIC) and state information commissions (SICs).

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the directions on November 26 while hearing a PIL filed by activist Anjali Bhardwaj and others who raised the issue of various posts lying vacant in the CIC and SICs, reported Bar and Bench.

The court observed that as per the status report furnished on November 11, eight posts in the CIC are presently lying vacant and only three information commissioners are in service.

The bench Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Brijender Chahar  to file a status report within two weeks, informing the court about the initiatives taken to fill up the vacant posts in the CIC.

"In the States of Jharkhand, Telangana and Tripura, the State Information Commissions are lying defunct for the last several years, as no fresh appointments have been made therein, a factum which this Court also adverted to in the order dated 30.11.2023," said the court, issuing directions to these states to file a status report within two weeks, informing the court about how quickly the aforementioned appointments can be made.

Representing the petitioners, advocate Prashant Bhushan told the court about the vacancies as per the information furnished on November 11.

The court also directed all the other remaining states to submit status reports with information about the number of sanctioned posts in their respective SICs and the number of vacancies at present.

"They shall also undertake the time within which the selection process will be initiated and the vacant posts will be filled-up. The needful shall be done within two weeks," said the court.

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