Rahul Gandhi flags ‘systematic exclusion’ as PM-led panel meets to pick CIC, Vigilance Commissioner

A meeting of the Prime Minister–headed selection committee to appoint the next Chief Information Commissioner, Information Commissioners and a Vigilance Commissioner saw Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi formally record his dissent, arguing that the shortlisted candidates revealed a stark absence of representation from backward and minority communities.

Sources said Gandhi had sought data on the caste composition of applicants weeks earlier. The government shared the details on Wednesday, showing that only 7% of applicants — and just one shortlisted candidate — came from SC, ST, OBC, EBC or minority groups. Gandhi flagged this as part of a “systematic pattern” of exclusion and submitted a detailed dissent note.

He also accused the government of weakening the Right to Information framework, saying some shortlisted candidates had previously demonstrated a lack of transparency in public roles. The three-member committee includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Leader of Opposition.

After Gandhi’s objections, sources said the panel agreed to consider a few names from the limited backward-community applicant pool.

The meeting came a day after Gandhi told Lok Sabha that his presence in such selection committees amounted to having “no voice”, citing the dominance of the Prime Minister and Home Minister in these panels — similar to the setup for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.

The CIC’s top post has been vacant since September 13, when Heerala Samariya, a Dalit, completed his tenure at 65. Eight Information Commissioner posts have also remained unfilled for years, leaving the Commission with only two serving commissioners against its sanctioned strength of ten.

This is not the first clash over appointments. Samariya’s own selection in 2023 had triggered objections from then Opposition member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who said he was neither consulted nor informed.

Earlier, in 2020, Chowdhury had opposed the elevation of former IFS officer Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha as CIC and journalist Uday Mahurkar as Information Commissioner — both were appointed despite his dissent.