In a significant development, Assam’s Chief Information Commissioner Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta resigned from his position –
following a series of Right to Information petitions reportedly filed against his brother, entrepreneur and cultural organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta.
Government sources said the move came after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma advised Mahanta to resign in the wake of RTI applications regarding issues relating to his brother’s activities. Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta sent in his resignation following the advice from the chief minister, and the state government has approved it.
Well-known retired Indian Police Service officer Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta of the 1988 Assam-Meghalaya cadre had joined as State Chief Information Commissioner earlier this year after his retirement as DGP, Assam. During his stint in the police department, Mahanta was highly regarded for his leadership qualities and integrity in maintaining law and order in the state.
Before his appointment as DGP, Mahanta had served as Director General of Border and other important posts in the security administration of Assam. An officer noted in the force for his initiatives toward modernizing policing and community relations, he was considered one of the most respected officers in the hierarchy of Assam Police.
His resignation as chief of CIC comes when the state administration is under increased scrutiny over transparency and accountability in public institutions. The RTI petitions that triggered the controversy reportedly sought details pertaining to projects and initiatives linked to his brother, thus raising questions over the possibility of conflicts of interest.
His retirement has left the Commission without its head. Ironically, the state government is yet to announce a successor to Mahanta. Indeed, the Chief Information Commission was entrusted with a key role in ensuring the right to information and bringing transparency in governance.
Observers remark that the decision of Mahanta to resign only testifies to the sensitivity in offices bestowed with responsibilities to ensure public transparency. His abrupt exit has thus been seen as a way of saving the integrity of the institution from increasingly public scrutiny. The three-decade-long career of Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta was spent in service to Assam. His exit from the top information post in the state marks the close of yet another important chapter in his public life. The government is likely to come out with a name for a new Chief Information Commissioner soon to ensure continuity in the functioning of the commission.
