Prez forwards Habibullah's resignation to DoPT

President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday forwarded to the concerned ministry the resignation of retired bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah, who has quit as Chief Information Commissioner to take up his new assignment as the RTI watchdog in Jammu and Kashmir.

President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday forwarded to the concerned ministry the resignation of retired bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah, who has quit as Chief Information Commissioner to take up his new assignment as the RTI watchdog in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Official sources said the resignation of 64-year-old Habibullah had been sent to the nodal ministry -- Department of Personnel and Training -- for necessary action and requisite notification.

Habibullah, a 1968-batch IAS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, was the first Chief Information Commissioner after the Centre brought in the RTI Act in force in October 2005.

He submitted his resignation on October 19 to take charge as the State Information Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir. "After acceptance, I will decide when to take over the new assignment," Habibullah said.

He said his experience as the first Chief Information Commissioner of India was "quite enriching" and he would use his experience while performing the new task in the state.

Habibullah had served in various capacities in the state during 1968-82 and was again posted there for brief periods.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's move to bring him is seen as a filip to transparency movement in the state. After taking over as the Chief Minister in January this year, Omar listed implementation of the state's version of Right to Information Act as one of his priorities.