No search committee member appointed as CVC: Govt

No member of the search committee constituted by the government has been appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

"No," said Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, in a written reply when asked if an officer from the search committee, constituted for the appointment procedure of the CVC, itself has been appointed against the said post.

The applications for the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner are invited openly, the minister said.

"However, in case where a member of the Search Committee had applied for the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner, the Search Committee had been reconstituted, by including another member in lieu, with due approval of the competent authority," said Singh.

The assertion assumes significance as the Congress had last month termed the process adopted for appointment of the Central Vigilance Commissioner "illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional" and demanded its immediate scrapping.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had said the recommendations for the CVC, the panel which was sent to the high powered committee, consisted of Ajay Narain Jha, currently a member of the 15th Finance Commission, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, and former DoPT secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma.

He had said the Finance Secretary was a member of the search committee, an applicant for the post of CVC and the committee recommends one of its members to be appointed as the CVC.

A CVC is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the selection committee consisting of the prime minister as its chairperson, and the Minister of Home Affairs and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, as its members.

The Centre is yet to fill the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner and a Vigilance Commissioner for over eight months.

Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary and Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin completed their term in June last year. After their tenure ended, Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar was made interim CVC.

Probity watchdog Central Vigilance Commission can have a Central Vigilance Commissioner and two Vigilance Commissioners.