NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to pass an interim order extending the tenure of the last presiding officer of the Delhi School Tribunal and granted time to the AAP government to state its stand on a plea seeking expeditious appointment to the currently vacant post.
Delhi government counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi told the court that the rules for appointment have been changed and are pending approval before the Lieutenant Governor and a temporary arrangement has been put in place until a regular selection is done.
“Learned counsel for state government states that the rules have been changed for appointment of the presiding officer of the Delhi School Tribunal and the same is pending approval before the hon’ble L-G,” said the bench.
The court granted four weeks time to the government to file a status report on the public interest litigation which submitted that the presiding officer also holds the additional charge of State Transport Appellate Authority under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act and both the tribunals have been non-functional since June 21 following the expiry of the tenure of the last officer.
The petitioner urged the court to pass an order on his interim application for extending the tenure of the last presiding officer in the meantime. “We are very sorry. We are not the appointing authority. It is a lengthy process,” responded the bench. “The Principal Secretary, Law and Justice has been made as the temporary arrangement till regular selection is made,” Tripathi said.
Petitioner Mohit Mudgal, a lawyer, stated in his plea the tenure of the last presiding officer expired on June 6 and since then the school tribunal and the appellate authority under the MV Act have become non-functional, which is causing a delay in disposal of the pending pleas there as well as public inconvenience.
“The non-functioning of the School Tribunal and the appellate authority under the MV Act is actually causing an avoidable delay in the administration of justice as well as the disposal of the pending matters in both the above Tribunal/ Authority,” the petition further added.