New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) The Central Information Commission (CIC) has expressed doubts over a recent study that evaluated functioning of information commissions and commissioners across India.
A recent study by the Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF) had criticised the working of most of the information commissioners and information commissions. The PCRF has also constituted the first national RTI awards which will be given Dec 1.

The commission, however, noted that it welcomes critical evaluation.

The CIC expressed the displeasure in a meeting that took place Nov 24. The meeting was attended by CIC chief Wajahat Habibullah and other central information commissioners like A.N. Tiwari, Annapurna Dixit, Satyananda Mishra, M.L. Sharma, Sushma Singh and Deepak Sandhu.

“…the said organization has plans to award certain Commissioners on the basis of certain evaluation parameters. That being so, there appears to have been a concerted effort to denigrate the performance of many commissions and commissioners, including the Central Information Commissioners, on the basis of an unscientific and untested methodology,” noted the minutes of the meeting.

The study showed two Central Information Commissioners - M.M. Ansari and A.N. Tiwari - in poor light stating that they rarely penalised government officials for violating Right To Information Act. It also highlighted low level of public satisfaction against the duo.

Replying to such criticism, Ansari had recently termed the study as an “eye-wash”.

The awards will be given in three categories - best information commissioner in the country, public information officer in the country and RTI citizen.

“The commission has also taken note of the critical analysis of the above exercise made by M.M. Ansari as well as members of the public, wherein the flawed nature of this exercise has been highlighted,” the commission observed.

“The commission has, on the other hand, appreciated the comprehensive and scientific study of the functioning of the RTI regime until 2008 by the NCPRI (National Campaign For People’s Right to Information) and RaaG (RTI Assessment and Analysis Group). The CIC always welcomes critical evaluation that is bonafide, scientific and objective. The PCRF exercise is, however, suspect.”