Central Information Commission (CIC)
▪ Established: The CIC was established by the Central Government in 2005, under the provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005). It is not a constitutional body.
▪ Members: The Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
▪ Appointment: They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee
consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
▪ Tenure: The Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner shall hold office for a term of 3 years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They are not eligible for reappointment (as per the amendments made in RTI Act, 2005 in 2019).
Power and Functions of CIC:
▪ It is the duty of the Commission to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person regarding information requested under RTI, 2005.
▪ The Commission can order an inquiry into any matter if there are reasonable grounds (suo-moto power).
▪ While inquiring, the Commission has the powers of a civil court in respect of summoning, requiring documents etc.
State Information Commission:
▪ It is constituted by the State Government.
▪ It has one State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) and not more than 10 State Information Commissioners (SIC) to be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Appointments Committee headed by the Chief Minister.
Articles of the Constitution Relating to Language
▪ Article 343 of the Indian Constitution – Ensures the use of Hindi as the official language of the Central Government, along with English.
▪ Article 345 of the Indian Constitution – Explains the regional languages of the states.
▪ Article 346 of the Indian Constitution – Explains the language of communication between the
Central and State Governments.
▪ Article 348 of the Indian Constitution mandates English as the language for proceedings in the Supreme Court and High Courts.
▪ While Article 348(2) allows for the use of Hindi or other state languages in High Court
proceedings with Presidential consent, the final judgments, decrees, or orders must still be in
English.
▪ In Tamil Nadu, English remains the sole language of the High Court to date.
▪ In the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya, English is the only official language.
▪ Apart from this, in more than 10 Indian states, English is the official language along with the mother tongue.
