There is a need to have a process of selection of information commissioners, says Shailesh Gandhi, Information commissioner at chief information commission (CIC).

He says the present process is, “An arbitrary political exercise of influence peddling.” Gandhi says, the appointment process followed today is not need-based and the government must expose the shortlisted names to the people.

“There is a process to appoint a driver or a peon in the commission. But there is no process for appointing commissioners. I was also appointed by a completely flawed method,” Gandhi told Governance Now in an interview to be published in the forthcoming issue.

He says most bureaucrats are preferred for this job because they are close to the political power system.

Gandhi’s term as the information commissioner with the Central information Commission will end on July 6.

Pointing at three major threats to RTI, he says, the lowest threat is from the government which tries to scuttle the act because of its reluctance and resistance. Slightly higher than that is the threat from the judicial system. He adds that the highest threat comes from the information commission itself. “Many states and the central commission have huge pendency. And my estimate is that by 2016, the pendency will touch about 80,000 cases. And if this continues, a common man will run away from RTI. And the act will be finished,” he said.

He says if the commission does not decide to deliver, five years from now RTI act will be dead. “As information commissioners it will be our responsibility to finish off a great act. But I am hopeful that commissioners at some point decide to work on it.

Talking about the resolution passed by the CIC on recent killings of RTI activists, Gandhi says, “Central commission or various states commissions must take proactive steps.” He adds, “If we get a complaint that somebody is attacked or killed, we collect the RTI applications filed by him and order the public authorities to issue suo moto on their websites. And ask the police to take up the investigation. If this happens, then people will understand that trying to harm a person will land them in a bigger mess.”