Aires challenges GPSC chairman appointment
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 11 June 2013 20:47 IST
Social activist Aires Rodrigues has filed public interest litigation in the high court, challenging the appointment of Kurupati Dwarkanath Row as Chairman of the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC).
The PIL filed before the Bombay high court at Panaji, Rodrigues has also made chief minister Manohar Parrikar and chief secretary B Vijayan the respondents, besides Row.
Rodrigues in his petition has alleged that the appointment of Row as GPSC Chairman was unconstitutional, illegal and void.
Row was appointed arbitrarily without any selection committee, with no criteria or evaluation and without any transparency, he stated.
Rodrigues has also alleged that Row, a former staff of Air India, is Parrikar’s relative but has not elaborated upon the relation.
The petition is expected to come up for hearing tomorrow before a division bench comprising of Justice A P Lawande and Justice U V Bakre.
Referring to the documents obtained by him under the Right to Information Act , Rodrigues has submitted that Row was appointed solely on the recommendation of the Chief Minister, in a very arbitrary and malafide manner.
According to him, under Article 316 (1) of the Constitution of India, the minimum requirement for the Chairman of GPSC was experience of ten years under the Govt of India or the State Government, but Row has worked only at Air India.
Rodrigues has also submitted that was hurriedly appointed by throwing to the wind all norms and guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court of India for the appointment to such a high Constitutional post of Chairman of the Public Service Commission.
As per the file notings, states Rodrigues, a note was moved by the Personnel department at the Secretariat on 27 February this year that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had recommended and suggested the name of Row for the post of Chairman of Goa Public Service Commission.
The note was then approved by the Under Secretary, Additional Secretary, Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister on the same day. The proposal was also approved by the Cabinet meeting held on that very same day.
The file was then also approved by Governor Bharat Vir Wanchoo.
