The Uttar Pradesh government on March 12 faced criticism over the appointment of State Information Commissioners with Swatantra Prakash Gupt, one among the ten newly appointed Information Commissioners allegedly associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Opposition parties alleged that this was a blatant violation of norms, and an outright flouting of the rules.
While the Right to Information Act says that any commissioner should not be connected with a political outfit, Mr. Gupt is alleged to be the legal cell co-convener of the U.P. BJP.
According to the RTI Act, 2005, “The State Chief Information Commissioner or a State Information Commissioner shall not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union territory, as the case may be, or hold any other office or profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession.”
