Former Law Secretary Raj Kumar Goyal a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of erstwhile J&K cadre, has been appointed as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of India. His name as CIC, along with eight other Information Commissioners, was cleared by a three-member selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier this week.
Eight others, most of them former civil servants, were chosen as Information Commissioners. Goyal was IAS officer of erstwhile J&K cadre and held various important postings in J&K and New Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are two other members of the selection panel.
Goyal will take oath as the Chief Information Commissioner on Monday, December 15 at 11 am. President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Goyal, who will later administer oath to the eight Information Commissioners.A 1990-batch (retired) IAS officer of AGMUT (erstwhile J&K) cadre, Goyal superannuated as Union Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice on August 31 this year.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, had appointed Goyal as Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice on May 27, 2024.
Goyal, who served on various prestigious assignments in J&K, including Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) Home in J&K, proceeded on central deputation in February 2024.
During his central deputation, prior to his appointment as Law Secretary, he served as Secretary, Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs.With this, the 11-member Central Information Commission (CIC) acquired full strength for the first time in the past seven years. The central transparency panel has been headless since September and was working with just two Information Commissioners. Central Information Commission – the highest appellate authority to adjudicate RTI-related complaints and appeals – had been headless since September 14, after the retirement of CIC Heeralal Samariya.
The filling of vacancies came after a meeting of the Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as members. Earlier in the meeting held few days back Rahul Gandhi had submitted a dissent note, having on representation to disadvantaged groups. This was however dismissed by the government contending that out of 8 names in the list, 5 were from disadvantaged groups.
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