The country has finally got two important watchdogs to ensure checks and balances in the government business. KV Chowdary was on Monday, appointed as the new central vigilance commissioner while the Vijai Sharma, is the new chief information commissioner. TM  Bhasin has been appointed vigilance commissioner. The CIC and CVC posts have been lying vacant for over nine months.

Chowdary is former chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Sharma was senior information commissioner.

The agreement on these names came at two meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in two different committees.

Sources said there were 203 applicants, including all 7 information commissioners, for the post of the CIC and 553 for the post of information commissioners.

In CVC, the term of Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar had ended on September 28, 2014, while vigilance commissioner JM Garg completed his tenure on September 7. Sources said the government had received about 130 applications for the two posts.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, had written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 20 to publicly disclose the names of persons shortlisted for appointment as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).

Bhushan had stressed in the letter that Chowdary was "unsuitable" for this position because his name figures four times in the list of persons who visited former CBI Director Mr. Ranjit Sinha at his official residence.”

Senior supreme court advocate Ram Jethmalani too raised objections to making Chowdhry as the CVC.