The committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recommending the appointment of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) had in December 2025, overruled Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi’s recommendation of Punjab-born retired IAS officer Sumita Dawra for the post and instead suggested another retired bureaucrat Raj Kumar Goyal’s name, who eventually got selected.According to minutes of the committee’s meeting accessed by The Tribune, which took place on December 10, 2025, where Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Rahul were present, the LoP from among the shortlisted candidates, suggested Dawra’s name for the post.In his letter to the PM, Rahul wrote that he was recommending Dawra, a 1991-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, for the CIC’s post. He further wrote that Dawra had over three decades of experience in public policy and development across diverse sectors. “Her breadth of expertise and administrative acumen make her well suited to shoulder the responsibilities of the CIC,” he wrote to Modi.He further went on to add that “If the committee is inclined to consider candidates from outside the current shortlist, I would like to recommend… Justice S Muralidhar, former Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court and Prof Faizan Mustafa, former Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University of Law”.Rahul added that both were distinguished professionals, with exemplary records in law, justice and public service.However, during the meeting, Shah suggested the name of Goyal, a retired 1990 IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, for the post.As per the minutes of the meeting, “However, the LoP disagreed and suggested three other names… After taking into account the relevant factors, the committee recommends the name of Goyal for appointment as the CIC in the Central Information Commission.”Goyal was subsequently appointed as CIC on December 11, 2025, “for a period of three years from the date on which he enters upon his office, or till he attains the age of 65 year, whichever is earlier”.Goyal retired in August 2025 as Secretary, Department of Justice in the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.Meanwhile, Dawra retired in March 2025 as Secretary, Labour and Employment in the Union Ministry of Labour.She was earlier Special Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Dawra holds Masters and M.Phil degrees in Economics and a Masters degree in Business Management from Panjab University, Chandigarh. She also holds an MBA in Public Policy from University of Birmingham (UK). She has several publications, including two bestselling books on public policy to her credit.