The Tamil Nadu government has appointed retired IAS officer Dr S Natarajan as the state chief information commissioner and named four state information commissioners, filling vacancies in the Tamil Nadu Information Commission responsible for hearing appeals and complaints under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The appointments were notified through a government order issued by the Human Resources Management Department on Thursday. S Mahalakshmi, Dr T K Shabeer, C B Meena and P Mahalingam have been appointed as state information commissioners alongside Natarajan.
The Tamil Nadu Information Commission hears appeals and complaints from people who have been denied access to information under the RTI Act. Its commissioners form the institutional mechanism through which applicants can challenge the denial or non-provision of information by public authorities.
The appointments were made under Section 15(3) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. The provision governs the appointment of state information commissioners, including the state chief information commissioner.
According to the government order, all five commissioners will hold office for three years from the date they assume charge or until they attain the age of 65, whichever is earlier. Their appointments and service conditions will be governed by the RTI Act and the Right to Information Rules, 2019.
The appointments come against the backdrop of vacancies in the state commission. The government order fills the positions of the state chief information commissioner and four state information commissioners, although the supplied notification does not specify how long the vacancies had remained open or provide details of pending appeals and complaints.
The functioning of the information commission is significant for the administration of the RTI framework in Tamil Nadu because applicants who do not receive information can approach the commission through the appeal and complaint mechanisms established under the law. The newly appointed commissioners will therefore take charge of an institution that sits between citizens seeking records and public authorities required to respond to information requests.
The order does not provide details of the commissioners’ date of assumption of charge. Their three-year terms will begin from the date they formally take office, subject to the statutory age limit of 65 years.
