NEW DELHI: Former law and justice secretary Raj Kumar Goyal is learnt to have been chosen as the chief information commissioner (CIC). The Central Information Commission will also have eight new information commissioners, including two women – former Railway Board chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha and legal expert and Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board member Sudha Rani Relangi, according to sources.The number of women in the panel is likely to touch three, the highest in recent years.After 7 yrs, CIC to be at full strengthThis will also be the first time in nearly seven years that the commission, which can have up to 10 commissioners besides the CIC, will acquire its full strength.The CIC’s post fell vacant after Heeralal Samariya demitted office on Sept 13 on turning 65. The commission was making do with two information commissioners (ICs) – Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari. The eight posts of ICs were vacant since Nov 2023. Khushwant Singh Sethi, a former Indian Forest Service officer; Swagat Das, a former IPS officer who worked with the home ministry and the Intelligence Bureau; senior journalist P R Ramesh; Surendra Singh Meena; Ashutosh Chaturvedi; and Sanjeev Kumar Jindal are also among those chosen as ICs, sources said.The three-member selection committee headed by PM Narendra Modi met on Wed-nesday to decide the names of the new CIC, eight ICs and a vigilance commissioner. Home minister Amit Shah was also part of the meeting. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi registered his strong dissent, sources had said. The govt later rebutted his claims.
