M. L. Sharma was Central Information Commissioner from 2008 to 2013. During his tenure, he decided over 11,000 Second Appeals. As a Member of the Full Bench of the CIC, he authored many important decisions, including the decision holding the Political Parties to be 'public authority' under the RTI Act. With a distinguished career in the Indian Police Service from 1972 to 2008, Sharma is the recipient of the Police Medal for Meritorious Services and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Services. During a challenging and illustrious tenure of 18 years in three spells in the CBI, where he rose to the position of Special Director, Sharma had the opportunity to handle some of the most complicated and delicate cases. Having served as Superintendent of Police in several districts of Rajasthan, DIG of Ajmer Range and Inspector General of Police, CID, Crime Branch, Rajasthan, as well as Inspector General of the North Bengal Frontier in the BSF, Sharma has an unmatched grassroots experience of field work in the police. Graduating from Rajasthan University as a Gold Medalist, Sharma got his post-graduate degree in Economics from the prestigious Delhi School of Economics and after retirement, a law degree from Delhi University. Sharma is at present a legal consultant and runs the law firm "Sharma & Vardhan Associates" in Delhi.