Question:
The Chief Central Information Commissioner at present is:
The Chief Central Information Commissioner at present is:
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Always verify the tenure and designation when answering questions about officials, as multiple individuals may serve in related positions over different periods.
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
- Sudhir Bhargava
- R.K. Mathur
- Sridhar Acharyulu
- Handu
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The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
The Chief Central Information Commissioner (CIC) is the head of the Central Information Commission, an important body established under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The CIC’s primary role is to oversee and adjudicate cases where applicants have been denied access to information by public authorities. Sudhir Bhargava was appointed as the Chief CIC and was known for his emphasis on transparency and strengthening the RTI framework.
R.K. Mathur also served as a CIC but during a different tenure. Sridhar Acharyulu was a Central Information Commissioner but not the Chief. “Handu” is not a recognized name associated with the post. Therefore, the correct answer is Sudhir Bhargava, whose leadership aimed at ensuring citizens’ access to information and promoting accountability in government bodies.
R.K. Mathur also served as a CIC but during a different tenure. Sridhar Acharyulu was a Central Information Commissioner but not the Chief. “Handu” is not a recognized name associated with the post. Therefore, the correct answer is Sudhir Bhargava, whose leadership aimed at ensuring citizens’ access to information and promoting accountability in government bodies.
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Approach Solution -2
The question asks who held the post of Chief Central Information Commissioner. Let's review each name.
- Sudhir Bhargava: He was appointed to head the Central Information Commission, the body set up under the Right to Information Act, 2005, to hear appeals when citizens are denied information by public authorities. His tenure was known for pushing transparency in how government bodies handle RTI requests.
- R.K. Mathur: He also served as Chief Information Commissioner, but during an earlier tenure that ended before the period this question refers to, so he does not match "at present."
- Sridhar Acharyulu: He served as a Central Information Commissioner, one of several members of the Commission, but never held the top post of Chief Commissioner.
- Handu: This name is not associated with the Central Information Commission at all, so it can be ruled out immediately.
Of the four, only Sudhir Bhargava was heading the Commission as Chief Central Information Commissioner at the time this question refers to.
Therefore, the correct answer is Sudhir Bhargava.
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Approach Solution -3
Since only one person can hold the top post of Chief Central Information Commissioner at any given time, laying out the timeline of who held the post helps settle the question.
- Sudhir Bhargava: He took charge as Chief Central Information Commissioner during this period, heading the Commission set up under the Right to Information Act, 2005, and overseeing appeals filed by citizens denied information by public bodies.
- R.K. Mathur: He held the same post, but in an earlier stretch that had already ended by the time this question refers to, so his tenure does not fit the phrase "at present."
- Sridhar Acharyulu: He served on the Commission as one of several Information Commissioners during this period, an important role, but distinct from the single Chief post the question asks about.
- Handu: This name does not correspond to anyone who has headed the Central Information Commission, so it can be set aside immediately.
Placing each name on the actual timeline of Chief Commissioners leaves Sudhir Bhargava as the one in office at the time this question was framed.
Therefore, the correct answer is Sudhir Bhargava.
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- On the evening of the 10th, General Dyer arrived at Amritsar, and the Deputy-Commissioner handed over the civil power to him. He issued a proclamation by word of mouth that no meetings should be held. Two days later, after there had been no sort of riot, nor murder, General Dyer heard that a meeting was to be held at the Jallianwala Bagh. He proceeded there with about fifty troops, half British, half Indian, and a certain number of Ghurkas, armed with their kukris. The Jallianwala Bagh is an open space, half a mile square, which has one entry wide enough for three persons. The troops got in and lined up on a mound of debris. The walls, seven feet high, and the surrounding houses enclosed the people. There were, too, three alleys through which the people might have been able to pass. Within thirty seconds of the troops getting in, General Dyer gave orders to fire, and the crowd of people, estimated at anything from 5,000 to 20,000, who were sitting on the ground peacefully listening to the mob oratory, were fired on. The result of the troops’ fire into the mass of people we do not know. But we do know that Dyer’s own estimate of the casualties resulting from ten minutes continual individual firing, was 400 to 500 killed and 1,500 wounded. The people were not able to escape. They were people who had not offered any violence and who had not been warned. These people were shot down. After ten minutes, the ammunition was exhausted and the troops marched off, and they left 1,500 wounded there. There were men lying there for two days, dying of thirst, eating the ground, bleeding to death and nobody to look after them. Those who lived nearby came and carried away some of the wounded from the heap of dead and dying, but the unfortunate country people died there miserably of their wounds. This is what is done in 1919 in British India…
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Centuries hence you will find Indian children brought up to this spot, just as they visit now the Cawnpore Well, and you can imagine the feelings of these Indians for generations over this terrible business.
[Col. Wedgwood, MP, speaking in the British Parliament, 22 December 1919]
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