NEW DELHI: Hitting out at the Centre for adopting “illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional” process for appointment of Sanjay Kothari as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), the Congress on Wednesday demanded that the appointment be scrapped and a new process be initiated with constitution of a fresh search committee.
“A man who is neither an applicant and whose candidature was not considered by the search committee is then cleared for appointment as next CVC,” said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari. “Applications need to be invited afresh. There needs to be proper consideration with application of mind and then a panel needs to be sent to the high-powered committee which should, in terms of propriety, pick one of the persons who has been recommended by the search committee. Otherwise, why have a search committee?” he asked.
The party said there was no need for the entire process if the government intended to appointed its ‘own’ man. Tewari claimed the government had a lot to hide and that’s why it wanted the CVC to be its’ yes-man’. “He should be a rubber stamp of the government, if not a pet performing poodle. This is how institutions are being destroyed in this country.”
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also attacked the government over the appointment of CVC and CIC and alleged there is no place for transparency, accountability and constitutional processes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'New India, which was fatal for democracy.
He alleged that the appointments of CVC and CIC are being made arbitrarily on the lines of "khul ja sim sim" (open sesame). "Arbitrariness in top judicial institutions is fatal for democracy," he said. "The appointments of CVC and CIC are being made on the lines of 'open sesame'. Bring out names from the pocket and make appointments, that's it. There is no place left for transparency, accountability, constitutional processes and compliance of law in Modi ji's 'New India'," he charged on Twitter.
Sanjay Kothari, the Secretary to the President, has been selected as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner by a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Modi.
(With PTI inputs)