Hooda- Chautala Tussle Erupts in State Information Commissioners Selection Meeting

Chandigarh (I-Haryana News): The State Information Commission, a supreme statutory body in Haryana to implement Right to Information Act 2006 has become bane of political Tussle between Haryana Chief Minister Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Main Opposition Party, INLD Chief Mr. Om Prakash Chautala over appointments of three new State Information Commissioners.

As per information, on Thursday a meeting was scheduled to appoint three state information Commissioners at Haryana Niwas, Mr. Hooda, Mr. Chautala and Haryana Education Minister, Mrs. Geeta Bhukkal were the three members of statutory search committee who met on to select the three State Information Commissioners.

Earlier to this Government had constituted a Search Committee headed by Chief Secretary to shortlist the suitable candidates for the post and then forward to statutory search committee for final selection, which has neither invites applications for the post of State Information Commissioners nor it announced the manner and methodology through which it had forwarded the 9 names out of 17 applications it receive.

The search committee headed by Chief Secretary submitted 9 applications out of 17 applications they got to for the three State Information Commissioners, here it is to mention that Search Committee Headed by Chief Secretary, Mr. P K Chaudhary had never issued public notice inviting applications for the public posts in questions, It is really magic how the committee received 17 applications, mostly from former Bureaucrats, seeking their rehabilitation.

The Statutory Search Committee Headed by Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda met on scheduled time, all three members including Leader of Opposition, Mr. Om Prakash Chautala was agreed on names of Mr. Sajjan Singh, IAS, former Chief Electoral Officer and Major General (Retired) Jagbir Singh Kandu proposed by Mr. Hooda.

Then after came the Name of Retired IPS Officer, Mr. PC Meena whose was name proposed by Mrs. Geeta Bhukkal but was not in the list forwarded the Search Committee, this all of sudden new name derailed the consensus reached among all three members of the Statutory Search Committee for first two names.

The Chief Minister and Mr. Geeta Bhukkal insisted on the three names figured in meeting, whereas, the leader of opposition then withdrew his consent of earlier two names and came out of meeting without signing the search committee final selection list, and spoke to media waiting outside the meeting avenue and opposed the process and manners in which selection for State information Commissioners was conducted. Further he announced that he would write dissenting note on all the selections proposed by  Chief minister, Mr. Hooda and Mrs. Geeta Bhukkal in Meeting. 

On other side, Search Committee Headed by Chief Minister, Mr. Hooda  approved the  all above mentioned names on Majority votes by 2-1( as three are three members in Committee).

Latter, in day INLD released a press note on the issue on behalf of Mr. Chautala alleged that he lodged his protest in meeting of ignoring Honorable  the Punjab and Haryana High Court direction in CWP 18846/2011 in which it has directed the Statutory Search Committee to considered every application it received. He further stated that as Search Committee headed by Chief Secretary had not invite applications for the posts through public notices, and questioned how all eligible candidates could apply for the posts of Information Commissioners, which is clearly the violation of High Court directions.

It is to mention that on April 4, 2012 on a PIL filed by RTI activist Advocate H C Arora, the High Court asked Punjab and Haryana to follow a transparent procedure for selection and appointment of SICs, as complainant alleged  that both the states were making appointments on a pick-and-choose basis.

The high court, in its order then, had stated, "....It would be the bounden duty of the state to examine whether the norms that are being followed today in the matter of appointment of SICs as well as certain additional norms that the state government may consider appropriate should find place in the form of a set of rules or not. Such an exercise should be performed by the state so as to ensure fairness in procedure..."

But, the today report clearly indicates that Indian politics has overpowered every institutions of democracy, even statutory and constitutional.

Source: Intelligent Haryana News 

Dinesh Singh Rawat Says:

It is heart burning news for all who use Right to Information as their tool for social purposes that the persons who have to safeguards the real spirit of Right to Information Act are appointed though non transparent ways, and would lower the esteem of  State Information Commission in Public eyes.

It is to mention that implementation of Right to Information Act is a one of main achievement of UPA government and dream of its Chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi along with MGNREGS, NRHM etc and the state of Haryana is being rule by Congress, defying the the real spirit of RTI act is like disturbing the dream of their supreme leader.