Ajay Seth, Secretary, Economic Affairs, has been assigned an additional charge of Secretary Revenue. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre.

For the first time, a non-Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer, is said to have been appointed as Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board. Generally, IRTS officers are appointed to the Board to operate the trains. An officer of Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) will now be Member of the Operations in Railway Board.

Why has the name of Hari Shankar Verma (IRTS), DG Safety, Railway Board, been struck off for the appointment as Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board? As per protocol, he was supposed to succeed incumbent Ravinder Goyal retired on November 30, 2024 and the Member Operations post goes to IRTS officers.

Sanjay Malhotra, Revenue Secretary, will be taking over the charge as Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 11, 2024. Malhotra, who succeeds incumbent Shaktikanta Das, is a 1990 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

After the appointment of Sanjay Malhotra as the Governor of RBI, now two posts of secretaries in the Ministry of Finance are lying vacant. The Department of Revenue and the Department of PSE are waiting for their new bosses.

Ashish Kumar Singh has been appointed as IG, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on deputation basis for a period of five years. He is a 2004 IPS officer of Odisha cadre.

Dhirendra Sambhaji Kutey has been appointed as Inspector General, Border Security Force on deputation basis for tenure up to the date of his superannuation. He is a 1997 batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre.

The tenure of Ms Rani Bindu Sachdeva working as DIG/Director, BPR&D, has been extended from February 8, 2025 to February 7, 2026. She is a 2006 batch IPS officer of Himachal cadre.

G Satish Kumar Ishwardas has been appointed as DIG, CRPF. He is a 2002 batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre.

Bhanwar Lal Meena, Director Central Detective Training Institute, Kolkata, has been appointed as Superintendent of Police (SP), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on lateral shift basis. He is a 2013 batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Nilabhra Sengupta has taken charge as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) on deputation. He is a 1997 batch IRSSE officer.

Santhi Raju, currently serving as Additional Director General (ADG) in the Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM), has been assigned additional duties of the post of Director General, IRIFM. He is an Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer.

Pankaj Agarwal, Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana and Commissioner & Secretary, Haryana Elections Department, has been assigned an additional charge of Commissioner & Secretary, Haryana School Education Department. He is a 2000 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

Devinder Singh Parmar has got a one year extension till February 12, 2026. He is a P&T BWS officer and posted at NCRTC as GGM Traction on deputation.

Rajat Jain has been transferred to DoT HQ in DS Division. He is a JTS level ITS officer.

Three ITS officers of 2021 batch have joined the DoT HQ. They are Kuldeep Diksha Dhiman and Shivam Gupta.

Three JTS officers of STS level have been transferred. Accordingly, Bhupendra has been transferred to NCA-T Ghaziabad, Nikhil Kumar Singh and Nidhi will jpon the DoT HQ.

On the basis of the results of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2024 held from September 20 to 29, 2024, the roll numbers of candidates who have qualified for the Personality Test (Interview) for selection to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and other Central Services (Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’) have been uploaded on the website of Union Public Service Commission. Dates of Personality Tests (Interviews) of these candidates will be notified in due course.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has called for nominations for the OECD Academy for Tax and Financial Crime Investigation, Managing Financial Investigations (Intermediate) Pilot Programme from January 20 to 31, 2025 at CTF, NADT Regional Campus, New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has advertised for the post of Consultant at New Delhi Headquarters. Applications must reach on or before December 30, 2024.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has decided to fill up vacancies in the offices of Protector of Emigrants for Bengaluru, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has invited applications from IRSSE/ S&T Department officers for the post of General Manager (S&T), Kolkata on deputation basis.

Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited (IPRCL) is seeking Advisor-Business Development Group (CGM level) for New Delhi. Applications for the same must reach on or before December 23, 2024.

National Land Monetization Corporation Limited (NLMCL) has extended the date for empanelment of International Property Consultants (IPCs) for Monetization of Assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)/other Government agencies. The revised date is February 28, 2025.

Hardwari Santoshkumar has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Padmanabh Industries Limited.

Murali Sivaraman has been re-appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited, effective January 17, 2025.

Chandra Kailash Vishwakarma has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of VL E-Governance & IT Solutions Limited.

Anoop Kumar Agrawal has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of VL E-Governance & IT Solutions Limited.

Deepak Amitabh has been appointed as Additional Director (Independent) of Zuari Industries Limited.

Dilip Kumar Mandal has been appointed as Additional Director in the category of Independent Director of BMW Industries Limited.

Mrs Minaxi Manoj Pareek has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of Vipul Limited.

Mrs. Renu Mahindra Singh has been appointed as an Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of Millennium Online Solutions (India) Limited.

Chirag R Patel has resigned from the position of Managing Director of Padmanabh Industries Limited.

Sanjeev Chhajjed has resigned from the position of Independent Director of iStreet Network Limited.

Atul Kumar Gupta has resigned from the position of Independent Director of Poonawalla Fincorp Limited.

Kejriwal's bungalow becomes poll issue

Amid the buzz of Delhi assembly elections, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bungalow has once again emerged as an issue. There has been politics of allegations and counter-allegations earlier also regarding the crores spent on the renovation and beautification of the Chief Minister's residence, but this time in response to the allegations of BJP leaders, AAP leaders have targeted Home Minister Amit Shah. Amidst the poster war going on from both sides, there is a discussion that the issues of the public are missing in the fight between the two sides.

Ritika Kumari

RTI Application and appeal filed by two citizens

The issue before the CIC was whether to hear the appeal in cases where the RTI application, first appeal and the subsequent second appeals was filed collectively by two citizens. The CIC referred to Section 6 (a) of the RTI Act, which stipulates that a person, who desires to obtain any information under this Act, shall make a request in writing or through electronic means in English or Hindi or in the official language of the area in which the application is being made. The CIC observed that in the instant case, the RTI applications, the First Appeal and the subsequent second appeal, all have been filed collectively by two citizens, Pawan Gupta & Vijender Kumar Gupta and therefore, the RTI applications, first appeals and second appeals, not being filed in individual capacity, are not maintainable. The CIC dismissed the appeal.

Comments

In case of Mr Samir Kumar Haldar v. Employees Provident Fund Organization, CIC/SG/A/2010/001429/8585 dated 16 July 2010, the appellant had filed an RTI application which was also signed by seven other people. The CIC observed that the PIO's rejection was completely wrong since there is nothing in the law or the rules preventing more than one citizen from submitting the RTI application. The CIC referred to Section3 of the RTI Act which states, "Subject to the provisions of this Act, all citizens shall have Right to Information". The CIC had then ruled that the PIO's rejection has no basis in law.

Citation: Pawan Gupta & Vijender Kumar Gupta v. University Grants Commission, Second Appeal No. CIC/UGCOM/A/2023/140271; Date of Decision: 05.11.2024

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

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