In a public interest litigation filed regarding alleged anomalies in appointments made by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the Uttarakhand High Court division bench of chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice RC Khulbe has directed the state government to file its reply without four weeks. The case will be taken up for hearing next on February 14.
Dehradun resident Statehood activist Ravinder Jugran had filed the PIL stating that five persons were appointed in SDMA without the due procedure being followed. Those appointed do not even meet the eligibility crieteria for the posts.
The petitioner averred that the Finance secretary who is also the Disaster Management secretary, had facilitated the said appointments without permission from the cabinet and government order, which also amounts to misuse of government funds.
Jugran also stated in his petition that on many occasions, he had made representations in this regard to the chief secretary who is also the chief executive officer of the SDMA. However, since no action was taken, he had to file a PIL in the high court, averred Jugran.