Wajahat Habibullah to stay on as CIC

Dec. 5, 2009 - PRLog -- New Delhi: The Chief Information Commissioner of India Wajahat Habibullah has withdrawn the resignation submitted to the President of India on Oct 20th.

According to informed sources the withdrawal was consequent to the notice issued today by the Supreme Court of India in a criminal contempt of court motion filed against Shri Habibullah by the Attorney General of India G.E Vahanvati citing 2 recent decisions of the Central Information Commission ordering the court's Public Information Officer to disclose certain information pertaining to the recent appointment of some judges of the court. If Habibullah had taken up his new assignment as Chief Information Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir he would have had to defend the case in his personal capacity and expense.

The Union of India's Petition has alleged that the publication on the CIC's website of these controversial CIC decisions contained scandalous pleadings of the appellant which tends to lower the dignity of the Court and interfere in the administration of justice by busybodies acting in collaboration with the Central Information Commission.