Surest way to deal death blow to RTI is to not appoint information commissioners: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday hit out at the government over eight information commissioner positions being vacant, saying the surest way to deal a "death blow" to the RTI Act is to not fill these posts.

The former home minister said the Central Information Commission should have, under the RTI Act, a chief information commissioner and 10 information commissioners.

At present, there are only the CIC and two information commissioners, he said, adding that eight posts of information commissioners are vacant.

"Why? Is it because the RTI Act has been used to pierce the veil of the government and hold the government to account," Chidambaram said in a post on X.

The central government has amended the RTI Act and changed the rules governing the conditions of service of information commissioners -- all with the intention of crippling the role of the RTI Act, he alleged.

"The surest way to cause a death blow to the RTI Act is to not appoint information commissioners," Chidambaram said.