In a ceremonial ceremony on Monday at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Rahul Pande was sworn in as Maharashtra’s new State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC). Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan of Maharashtra administered the oath of office.

Three recently appointed State Information Commissioners (SICs)—Ravindra Thakre, Prakash Indalkar, and Gajanan Nimdev—were also sworn in by the governor at the occasion.

“My sincere congratulations to Rahul Pande on his appointment as State Chief Information Commissioner, and to Ravindra Thakare, Prakash Indalkar, and Gajanan Nimdev on their oaths as State Information Commissioners at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, today,” said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Warmest regards for protecting the right to information and enabling people thru openness.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, MLC Parinay Phuke, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Brijesh Singh were among the luminaries who attended the swearing-in ceremony.

The national anthem and state song were played to start the event, and it ended with another performance of the national anthem. Prior to administering the oath, Dr. Prashant Narnaware, the Secretary to the Governor, read out the formal notices of the appointments.

It is anticipated that the new hires would improve the state’s application of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The relevant state government creates the State Information Commission by publishing a notice in the Gazette. The governor appoints “not more than 10 State Information Commissioners (SIC)” in addition to one State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC).

The state government designates the SIC headquarters. The state government should also approve the establishment of additional offices throughout the state. Nonetheless, the state commission is free to use its jurisdiction without interference from other authorities.

The SIC has the jurisdiction to request an annual report from a public authority, order an investigation if there are good reasons to do so, call someone for an examination, and order the public authority to designate a Public Information Officer (PIO) or Assistant Public Information Officer (APIO) if none.

The State Information Commission must report to the state government, but the Central Information Commission (CIC) must make an annual report to the federal government at the end of the year.