KOZHIKODE: With pressure mounting on the Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation (KSMDFC) following allegations of nepotism in the appointment of the relative of Minister K T Jaleel as its General Manger, the public sector unit on Thursday said the onus of appointing him to the post lay with the government.
Addressing a news conference, A P Abdul Wahab, chairman of the corporation’s board of directors, and V K Akbar, managing director, said the appoinment of K T Adeeb was also vetted by legal advisers of the Corporation and that there was no anomaly in his deputation from a private bank.
Asked why the eligiblity criteria was changed, Wahab said it was the government which changed the qualification guidelines. “We only recommended his name considering his expertise in the field,” Wahab added.
The final decision to appoint K T Adeeb, to the post of general manager was taken by the government, they said. None of the other candidates who appeared for the interview were eligible for the post to which appointment could be made only through deputation from other departments or statutory bodies, they added.
Wahab claimed that of the seven candidates who had applied for the post, only three turned up for the interview and they did not meet the criteria to be appointed on deputation. The managing director was asked to find a suitable person. Adeeb, a senior manager with South Indian Bank, had earlier applied for the post, but he did not attend the interview. As he was found to have all the required qualification, he was appointed as per Rule 9 (b) of the Kerala State Service Rules.
Asked how South Indian Bank could be termed a ‘statutory body’, Wahab claimed it was a “scheduled bank functioning under an act of Parliament”. Asked about the allegation that Adeeb lacked the mandatory clearance from the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau for the appointment of top officials of public sector undertakings, Wahab said the clearance could be easily obtained if required.