CIC AN Tiwari to stay for 3 months

ANUGRAHA NARAYAN TIWARI 

IS NEXT CHIEF INFORMATION COMMISSIONER

for three months

By R Rajagopalan

Just for three months tenure , the Information Commissioner Anugraha  Narayan Tiwari 

is the next  Chief Information Commissioner 

He is succeeding Wajahat Habibullah, ending the uncertainty 

over the new chief of the transparency panel.

Official sources said the name of Tiwari, a 1969 batch IAS officer and former Secretary, 

Department of Personnel and Training, has been cleared and forwarded to the 

President for appointment as successor to Habibullah who demits office on Wednesday.

Born in Navapara district in Orissa, but studied in Allahabad, got into IAS and

allotted Andhra Pradesh cadre of 1969 seniority-but served as Secretary

to Vice President of India  Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Tiwari said he was informed about the decision last night.

One of the senior-most Information Commissioners, Tiwari joined the 

transparency panel on December 26, 2005. In one of the path-breaking 

decisions, Tiwari brought the Income Tax returns of political parties under public scrutiny.

As per the provisions of the RTI Act when an Information Commissioner 

is appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner the aggregate of

 tenure should not exceed five years.

The Chief Information Commissioner is chosen  by a committee comprising the Prime Minister,  he Leader of Opposition and a minister of the Union Cabinet.
ends