Which one of following statements is not correct under the Right to

Which one of following statements is not correct under the Right to Information Act, 2005?

No specific qualifications have been prescribed for appointment as Information Commissioner.

An Information Commissioner holds office at the pleasure of the President.

No person can be appointed as Information Commissioner unless he is a person of eminence in public life.

An Information Commissioner must have wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC SO-Steno – 2017

Download PDF Attempt Online

Statement B is incorrect. An Information Commissioner holds office for a term prescribed by the Central Government (as per the RTI Amendment Act, 2019) or until the age of 65, whichever is earlier (as per the original Act, and the age limit is generally retained even with changes in tenure length prescribed by the government). They can only be removed from office under specific grounds like proved misbehaviour or incapacity, following a procedure involving an inquiry, as laid down in Section 14 of the RTI Act. They do not hold office at the pleasure of the President, which would imply the President can remove them at any time without cause.

The tenure and removal process of Information Commissioners are defined by the RTI Act, 2005 (and its amendments), ensuring a degree of security of tenure, unlike holding office “at the pleasure” of the executive head.

Statements A, C, and D reflect provisions of Section 12(5) of the RTI Act, 2005, which states that the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in specified fields. While it doesn’t prescribe formal educational degrees, it specifies necessary attributes and experience, functioning as qualifications. Therefore, statement A (“No specific qualifications have been prescribed”) is also technically incorrect as criteria are indeed prescribed, but statement B is the most definitively incorrect legal statement about the nature of their office tenure.

Join Our Telegram Channel

More similar MCQ questions for Exam preparation:-