On 4th December 2020,Governor of Rajasthan Shri Kalraj Mishra has appointed former chief secretary DB Gupta as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
The post of Chief Information Commissioner in Rajasthan had been lying vacant since April 2019 after Suresh Choudhary completed his tenure in December 2018. In November 2020, the state the government had assured the Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, of appointing the CIC before November 30.
Apart from DB Gupta, the governor also appointed a former professor at Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Narayan Bareth; and Sheetal Dhankar as the information commissioners at Rajasthan State Information Commission. With this appointment, the strength of the commission has increased to five. The other members of the commission are Rajendra Prasad Barwar and Laxman Singh Rathore. The commission can have a maximum of 10 information commissioners.
DB Gupta’s term will be for three years. He will continue as the CIC till December 2023. The CIC is appointed for a period of three years or 65 years of age, whichever is earlier. DB Gupta has become the fourth CIC of the state. His predecessors are M D Korani, T Srinivasan and Suresh Chaudhary. There was no regular CIC in the commission since the retirement of Suresh Chaudhary in December 25, 2018.
The Rajasthan State Information Commission (RIC) was constituted on April 18, 2006. RIC is the final appellate authority with regard to the matters mentioned in RTI Act, 2005. Its decisions shall be final and binding. RIC has also being empowered to receive and enquire into a complaint from a person who has been unable to obtain information from a Public Information Officer (PIO) or no such PIO has been appointed or PIO/Appellate Authority has refused to accept his or her application for information or appeal under this Act.
