THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The appointment of outgoing chief secretary Vishwas Mehta as the chief information commissioner (CIC) is likely to be a long-drawn affair if Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala insists that he would not sign the minutes of the selection committee meeting. Chennithala has said he could not register his opinion on the selection of the outgoing chief secretary as the CIC.
The committee headed by the chief minister and comprising the Leader of Opposition in the assembly and a cabinet minister nominated by the CM (A K Balan in this case) chose Mehta as the next CIC through an online meeting. The file naming Mehta as the CIC will get the Governor’s approval even if a member signs the file after writing a dissenting note in the minutes.
But if one member chooses to not sign the minutes citing procedural violation or any other reason, the Governor can seek an explanation from the state government or send the file back. In this case, the outgoing chief secretary was selected by violating Section 15 (6) of the Right to Information Act, which stipulates that a person who holds any other office of profit or pursuing any profession should not be considered for the post.
Chennithala has already given a letter to the chief minister registering his dissent over the selection procedure. He has lodged a complaint against Mehta with the VACBpointing out irregularities in engaging private consultancy firms in the water resource department projects. The man with an institutional and impeccable integrity should be considered for the post of CIC, he said in the letter.
Hence, it’s doubtful whether Chennithala would be willing to sign the minutes after raising a banner of revolt against the appointment. “If the process is delayed due to the Opposition leader’s stand, it would lead to other issues. Once the assembly election dates are announced, the state government will have to seek the Election Commission’s permission to push through his name,” s former CIC said.