HC seeks reply from UP govt on appointment of CIC

The Allahabad High Court today sought a reply from Uttar Pradesh government for appointing Javed Usmani as chief information commissioner(CIC).
The court, after purusing the record, directed the state counsel to file its reply on affidavit within three weeks. The petitioner may file his rejoinder within a week thereafter, it added.
On October14, the court had summoned the record of selection and appointment of CIC and eight information commissioners from the state government, which was produced before it today.
A division bench of justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and justice Mahendra Dayal gave this order on two pending writ petitions, seeking quashing of these selections.

Petitioner M N Rai alleged that the procedure adopted by the committee in such selections was not in accordance with law, hence being vitiated, it was liable to be quashed.
On behalf of the state government, Additional Advocate General Bulbul Godiyal submitted that a total 31 applications were received for the selection of CIC, in which four were found technically faulty.

The selection committee, after considering the applications, had taken the decision to appoint Usmani as CIC, she added.
The court, while framing legal question towards his selection and appointment, asked the state government as to what exercise was undertaken to assess 'comparative eminence' and whether any satisfaction had been recorded in this regard.

It has fixed November 17 as the next date of hearing the matter.