IC recuses self from hearing plea against political parties

In a surprising move, Information Commissioner Bimal Julka has recused himself from the Central Information Commission (CIC) full bench hearing a complaint against political parties for defying the RTI Act.

The move has brought the proceedings to a stop as the bench cannot function till Julka's replacement is announced by Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur, who is the administrative head of the CIC.

The last hearing in the case with Julka on board took place on December 8, 2016, but since then the case has been in limbo.

The full bench comprised Information Commissioners Sridhar Acharyulu, Bimal Julka and Sudhir Bhargava.

"The workload is heavy, so I have recused myself from the bench," Julka told

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)