With the retirement of State Information Commissioner (SIC) Jagadanand from his post on completion of statutory tenure of five years on Tuesday, a section of Right to Information (RTI) activists appealed to the Government to appoint capable and impartial persons to fill the vacant SIC posts.
“Ever since Jagadanand’s induction, he remained controversial in the issues like corruption, irregularities, land grab, intemperate behaviour with complainants and lack of skill in writing case decisions. On several occasions, RTI activists have exposed his wrongdoings in public domain. A number of complaints have also been filed against him before the High Court and the Governor demanding action against him. An aggrieved woman has also filed a defamation suit against him in the court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar,” said leading RTI activist Pradip Pradhan.
Jagadanand’s acts adversely affected integrity of the civil society at the cost of the RTI Act during his tenure from 2008 to 2013, said another rights activist, Jayant Kumar Das.