HC notice to Goa govt, scribe over selection for SIC

Goa bench of Bombay High Court today issued a notice to the state government and a candidate selected for the post of state information commissioner (SIC), on a petition filed by a social activist.
Aires Rodrigues, a social activist, yesterday filed a petition in the High Court challenging selection of journalist Sandesh Prabhudesai for the post of SIC.
The petition will now be heard on August 20.
During the hearing of the petition before the bench today, state Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni told the court that the name of Prabhudesai for the post of SIC has not yet been approved by the government.

In his petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, Rodrigues sought that the selection of Prabhudesai be revoked and that the Goa government be restrained from appointing him as the SIC.
Pointing out that the Goa State Information Commission had been constituted and notified with one Chief Information Commissioner and one State Information Commissioner, Rodrigues in his petition submitted that the selection of a second SIC was without jurisdiction, illegal and void.
The state government has already selected one person for the post of SIC.
Rodrigues further submitted that the second post of SIC, besides being non-existent, the advertisement published being for only one post of SIC, the selection of Prabhudesai for a non-existent post which was not advertised was arbitrary, discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India as it deprived other qualified persons an opportunity to apply for the second post of SIC.