Former Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur has been appointed the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing the head from among the serving information commissioners.
The post had fallen vacant after Vijai Sharma completed his tenure on December 1. “R.K. Mathur has been selected as Chief Information Commissioner,” Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, said.
A total of 33,724 complaints and appeals are pending before the commission, according to official data. Mr.Mathur will serve in the post for about three years, till he attains the age of 65.
A retired IAS officer of Tripura cadre, Mr.Mathur was made the Defence Secretary for a fixed two-year term on May 28, 2013. The selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday finalised Mr.Mathur’s name.