Haryana gets new governor but Hooda swears-in new commissioners

On a day Haryana got a new governor in Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda went ahead and administered the oath of office to new commissioners of the state information commission and the Right to Service commission.

Former bureaucrat and Hooda confidant Shiv Raman Gaur and Rekha, wife of Hooda's political advisor Varinder, were administered the oath of office by Hooda at his official residence here.

The oath ceremony was done hurriedly just after Bharatiya Janata Party leader Solanki was sworn-in as Haryana governor.

In the past, information commissioners were administered the oath by the governor.

Official sources here said Hooda got permission from outgoing governor Jagannath Pahadia to administer oath to the new commissioners himself.

Pahadia, whose five-year term as governor ended Saturday, was given a send-off Sunday morning before the new occupant of Raj Bhavan arrived.

Hooda also sworn-in the three commissioners of the newly-set up Right to Service Commission.

These included senior bureaucrat Sarban Singh, who took premature retirement, Amar Singh and Sunil Katyal. All three were administered the oath of office at Hooda's residence.

On his last day in office Saturday, Pahadia cleared the appointment of retired Major General Ranjit Singh as vice chancellor of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University, Jind.

He also cleared the appointment of Asha Kadyan as vice chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila University, Khanpur Kalan, Sonipat.

The governor also appointed S.K. Gakhar of the Centre for Biotechnology, Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, as the new vice chancellor of Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, Bhiwani.

All these vice chancellors would have term of three years.