An 88-minute meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi today created a wave of curiosity in the corridors of parliament, which is holding the Winter Session. Everyone knew the two leaders would speak about the candidates for the Chief Information Commissioner, but no one expected the meeting to continue for this long.

Under the rules, the Prime Minister, one Union minister chosen by him, and the Leader of the Opposition are tasked with deciding the top positions in the Information Commission, the Election Commission and the Vigilance department, which makes these meetings important and closely watched.

This time, Amit Shah attended as the senior minister. Gandhi reached the Prime Minister's Office at 1 pm, and the meeting began at 1.07 pm, sources said. As time passed, people grew more curious, and MPs started to wonder what else might be on the agenda.

After 88 minutes, when Rahul Gandhi came out, it became clear that the discussion had gone beyond the appointment of a Chief Information Commissioner and had also covered the selection of eight Information Commissioners and a Vigilance Commissioner.

Sources said Gandhi has objected to all the appointments and has submitted his objections in writing.

Sources added that objections from Opposition leaders in these meetings are usually expected. In earlier meetings, whether Mallikarjun Kharge or Rahul Gandhi attended on behalf of the Opposition, they raised objections.

Although the outcome was the same this time, conversations in the Parliament corridors were intense as people tried to guess what had happened during the long meeting.

There are currently 8 vacant posts in the Central Information Commission or CIC, including the position of the Chief Information Commissioner. These officials decide on complaints and appeals filed by RTI applicants and release information.

Till mid-September, Hiralal Samariya served as India's Chief Information Commissioner. After he retired on September 13, the post has stayed vacant. Only two Information Commissioners, Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari, are handling the workload. According to the CIC website, there are 30,838 pending cases.

Under Section 12(3) of the Right to Information Act, the Prime Minister chairs the Selection Committee, which includes the Leader of the Opposition and a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister, to select and recommend names for the Chief Information Commissioner and the Information Commissioners.