Govt bows to Advani’s demand, drops Shreekumar from info panel list

New Delhi, September 2: Bowing to Opposition leader L K Advani’s demand, the UPA Government has dropped former IPS officer R B Shreekumar, included an activist, but retained two bureaucrats for appointment as Information Commissioners.

The statutory committee for selecting Information Commissioners last Thursday approved the names of Special Director in CBI M L Sharma, Personnel Secretary Satya-nanda Mishra, activist Shailesh Gandhi and Annapurna Dixit, wife of former National Security Advisor late J N Dixit.

It dropped Shreekumar and former Shipping Secretary Ashok Mohapatra from the original list of five nominees that included Mrs Dixit.

The additional names for the proposed expansion of the Central Information Commission were forwarded last week to the President for approval, sources said. After the President signs the appointment, letters would be sent to the selected people for their consent.

For Mishra, who retires next January, this would be a post-retirement gift. Sharma was superseded by Ashwini Kumar, one year his junior, as CBI Director. The Commission already has former Personnel Secretary A N Tiwari as a Commissioner.

The nomination of Shreekumar, who had deposed before the Gujarat High Court against CM Narendra Modi, had Advani protesting. He sought deferment of the August 21 meeting, saying he had “serious reservations about the agenda” and that he had conveyed his objection “orally” to Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

In his letter to the PM, Advani is reported to have said that “public-spirited activists who have been in the forefront of this campaign for transparency in government have taken exception to the fact that government’s choice of Information Commissioners is limited to retiring bureaucrats.”

Singh is reported to have asked Advani to suggest names as it would not have been possible to push through the selection without the Opposition leader’s approval.

Revised list

• Special Director in CBI M L Sharma

• Personnel Secretary Satyananda Mishra

• Activist Shailesh Gandhi

• Activist Annapurna Dixit

• Ex-Personnel Secy A N Tiwari Dropped:

• Ex-IPS officer R B Shreekumar

• Ex-Shipping Secretary Ashok Mohapatra

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