Maharashtra fills up all information commissioner posts, 5-year-old plea closed
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that it has filled all vacancies for the posts of State Chief Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioners.Appearing before the bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, Additional Government Pleader Jyoti Chavan submitted that the position of Chief Information Commissioner and seven posts of State Information Commissioners have all been filled.advertisementThe court was hearing a petition filed five years ago by former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi and other activists working in the field of transparency and governance. The plea had sought the immediate filling of vacant posts and the creation of three additional posts of State Information Commissioners in line with a previous Supreme Court order.
During the hearing, Advocate Sunil Ahya, representing Gandhi, requested the court to fix a timeframe of 45 days for the disposal of second appeals under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, citing a large backlog of pending cases.While the bench acknowledged the concern, it pointed out that the RTI Act does not stipulate any specific time limit for deciding second appeals. However, the court observed, "It is trite law that even when a statute does not prescribe any limit for doing an act within a particular time, the same has to be done within a reasonable time."advertisementRegarding the demand for the creation of three additional posts, the state submitted that the financial implications of such a move are currently being considered, and an appropriate decision will be taken if the situation demands.Following these submissions, the court disposed of the petition, bringing to a close a matter that had remained pending for half a decade.
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