Plea in HC against appointment of Goa CM kin as GPSC chief

A petition has been filed in the Goa bench of Bombay High Court challenging the appointment of Chairman of Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC), a relative of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
According to the petition, which will come up for hearing tomorrow, K D Row was named GPSC Chairman in violation of norms and hence his appointment was "unconstitutional and illegal".
The petition filed by Goa-based social activist, Aires Rodrigues, today filed a petition in the high court, in which, besides the Chief Secretary of Goa, Row and Parrikar have been made respondents.
Rodrigues has attached documents obtained under Right to Information (RTI) along with the petition. "The documents makes the case clear that Row, a relative of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was appointed as chairman of the GPSC solely on the recommendation of the Chief Minister, in a very arbitrary and malafide manner," Rodrigues said.

The petitioner alleges that the appointment was arbitrarily done without following the due process of selection, without the formation of any selection committee, without any criteria, evaluation process or transparency.
The petition seeks the appointment to be quashed and set aside as it was "grossly malafide and a fraud".

Rodrigues has alleged that the state government did not collect information and material on whether Row had the experience, ability and character to be appointed for the post, while also not having considered other persons who would have qualified for it.
The petition will come up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justice A P Lavande and Justice U V Bakre.

However, when asked Parrikar did not comment on the issue.