Supreme Court to hear whistleblower's plea on 'illegal' appointment of Kerala ex-minister's wife

According to Supreme Court sources and registry, the matter would come up for hearing immediately after summer vacations, after July 7.
Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of IndiaFile Photo | PTI

NEW DELHI: A Special Leave Petition (SLP) has been filed before the Supreme Court by a whistle blower for rejecting the plea in connection with the alleged appointment of Anila Varghese, wife of former Kerala minister of Food and Civil Supplies Anoop Jacob in the Kerala Bhasha Institute.

The whistle blower Manimekhala's SLP has been filed before the top court by advocate Tarini K Nayak and filed through AORs (Advocate-on-Records) Renjith Marar and Lakshmi Kaimal.

Manimekhala termed the appointment of Anila Varghese to the post of Assistant Director in the Kerala Bhasha Institute, as "illegal and unconstitutional," and it was carried out in blatant violation of Article 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution of India, along with pertinent service rules and employment laws.

Initially, her plea was rejected by the HC of Kerala at Ernakulam, after it did not find any substance or evidence, in her petition, following which Manimekhala had knocked the doors of the apex court for relief.

The dismissal order by the Kerala HC has sparked controversy over the alleged violations of constitutional provisions and procedural illegalities.

The petition highlighted that the High Court had failed to adequately consider the evidence presented by the Petitioner (Manimekhala) which demonstrated Varghese's insufficient educational qualifications and age eligibility for the position in question.

"The appointment process allegedly flouted statutory requirements, including but not limited to mandatory notification of vacancies to employment exchanges as per the Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959, thereby undermining fair competition for the position," Nayak said in his petition.

The documents submitted by Varghese are deemed lacking in authenticity and are evidently forged and fabricated. There were apparent collusion between the parties, leading to an ineligible candidate securing the position and purportedly defrauding the state exchequer, Nayak said in the petition.

The petition sought to overturn the dismissal order and demanded a thorough reevaluation of the entire appointment process, emphasizing the need for transparency, adherence to legal norms, and accountability of all parties involved.

According to Supreme Court sources and registry, the matter would come up for hearing immediately after summer vacations, after July 7.

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