SC to take plea seeking making transparent process of appointing CBI chief

New Delhi, Jan 24: Even as the High Powered Committee is set to meet today to finalise the name of the next Central Bureau of Investigation chief, the Supreme Court will hear a matter to make the process more transparent.

A Bench headed by Justice A K Sikri is scheduled to hear a petition to make the entire appointment process accessible under the RTI Act. The petition filed by NGO Common Cause demands the public disclosure and procedure and rational criteria for shortlisting candidates for CBI Director.

The petition also goes on to highlight how the government can stifle the independence of the CBI even at the stage of short-listing candidates for appointment to the office of CBI Director.

The petition also urged the court to reiterate its stand of the past that appointments to high-integrity institutions such as the CBI, CVC and CIC should not be made behind a cloak of secrecy.

It may be recalled that on December 13, a Bench led by Justice Sikri had pulled up the government for keeping the public in the dark about the appointment process of the Central Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. The Bench had also ordered the government to upload online each and every step taken to fill the vacancies, including the names of those in the search committee, shortlisted candidates and selection criteria.