After their charter of demands submitted on November 16 to CIC RI Singh did not elicit any response, activists held a dharna and raised slogans against the commissioners. Led by their president HC Arora and secretary Anil Vashisht, the activists said this was their first phase of their agitation, and the next course of action would be announced soon.
The federation said the commission was deliberately protecting the PIOs by not imposing penalties, and some commissioners were manipulating the logbooks of official cars. Arora also alleged that the information commissioners did not sit in office for more than two or three days.
Meanwhile, inside the commission office, during the hearing of the case of complainant Nachhattar Singh Mavi, who had sought information from the Vidhan Sabha, Madan Mohan, retired secretary of the Assembly, who also appeared on behalf of the respondent department besides the APIO, said his counsel HC Arora was on a dharna today, therefore, the case may be adjourned. The CIC said in his order that in view of the request, the case was adjourned to December 22, but no further adjournment would be allowed.
RI Singh told The Indian Express that the charter of demands stated that the federation should be called for “negotiations”. “We are not a commercial organisation that would engage in negotiations. Their charter was put before the meeting of the full commission, and comments have been put before the governor,” he added.
Meanwhile, Arora demanded that retired IAS and police officers should not be appointed as commissioners. The protesters raised slogans against the CIC and SIC Ravi Singh. The gathering also passed a unanimous resolution to publish a booklet of 100 ridiculous decisions of the commission, and present it to the governor through memoranda. Arora said it would also be sent to all commissioners as well as high court judges across the country