Notice over Goa information commissioner's selection

The Bombay High Court bench here issued notice Tuesday to the Goa government and one of the two state information commissioners (SICs) selected by the government after a petition alleged that rules were violated in the selection process.

Petitioner Aires Rodrigues questioned how journalist Sandesh Prabhudesai had been selected without him having even applying.

"The selection of Sandesh Prabhudesai was done without him even applying for the post of SIC and on a mere recommendation letter from Dr. Oscar Rebello (a city doctor), which was surprisingly silent on Sandesh Prabhudesai's educational qualifications," Aires said in his petition.

He further claimed that the advertisement seeking applicants announced only two posts, one for chief information commissioner and the other for one SIC.

But in hiring two SICs, the government violated its own recruitment norms.

The state government as well as Prabhudesai have been asked to submit their responses by Aug 20.

The State Information Commission has been non-functional for over a year, after two appointments made by the state government hit controversy. The hired candidates had to resign following controversies related to their educational qualification and graft probes against them.