NEW DELHI: Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Vijai Sharma has been appointed as the chief information commissioner. 

A 1974 batch IAS officer, he was until now information commissioner in the Central Information Commission, New Delhi.

Sharma has been serving in the commission as information commissioner since 2012 and is the senior-most information commissioner. 

Retired IAS officer Sudhir Bhargava of the 1979 batch, who had retired as secretary in the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has been appointed an information commissioner in the Commission. 

These appointments have been made for a term of five years from the dates on which they assume charge of their new offices or till they attain the age of sixty five years, whichever is earlier.