The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the Government a go ahead to appoint the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and two Vigilance Commissioners on an assurance that every application received for the post will be placed before the Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The post of CVC has been lying vacant since September 2014. While the process for inviting applications and shortlisting of names was on, the Supreme Court in a PIl proceeding on December 17, 2014 restrained the Centre from taking any final decision till it was satisfied that a transparent and due procedure as laid down under the Central Vigilance Commission Act was followed.
lifting the embargo, the bench headed by Chief Justice Hl Dattu said, “Keeping in view the urgency and importance of CVC post being kept vacant for past few months, request made by Attorney General to proceed in accordance with Section 4(1) of CVC Act is granted.”
The Supreme Court kept the PIl pending in order to scrutinize the final selection by the Committee of PM, Home Minister and leader of single largest party in Opposition.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for PIl petitioner Centre for Integrity, Governance and Training in Vigilance Administration, objected to the same mistake committed in the past by which a Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary would shortlist 10 candidates each for CVC and VCs and forward it to the PM-led panel.
“The CVC is the most prominent institution of integrity that makes it all the more important to have proper transparency in his selection.”
Rohatgi assuredthe Court that all 132 applications will be sent to the Selection Committee along with their bio-data including those shortlisted by Committee of Cabinet Secretary, DoPT Secretary and Financial Services Secretary. Of these, 54 applications were for CVC post.
The SC had shared the concern expressed by the PIl that Government followed a narrow zone of consideration comprising retired bureaucrats for CVC in a non-transparent manner.