VIJAYAWADA: The appointment process for chairpersons and members of the Lokayukta, Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission (APHRC) and Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) is at various stages and will be completed soon, Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas informed the High Court on Wednesday. He said the selection of the Lokayukta had been completed by a committee headed by the chief minister and the file was pending before the Governor for approval.
The appointment of the APHRC chairperson and members was pending before the selection committee headed by the chief minister, the AG said. Applications had been invited for the appointment of the APERC chairperson and the deadline ended on August 14.
He sought additional time to complete the process. Regarding the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC), the AG said some delay was likely in filling the posts of chairperson and members as the Centre had to issue guidelines in accordance with Supreme Court directions.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan considered the submissions and adjourned the hearing by four weeks. Several public interest litigations had been filed seeking directions to fill vacant posts in the Lokayukta, APHRC, APERC and SCDRC.
The petitioners contended that the vacancies were affecting the functioning of important statutory bodies and sought early appointments. The court asked the government to place complete details before it at the next hearing.