PMK moves HC seeking stay on appointment of TNPSC members

PMK today moved the Madras High Court challenging the appointment of advocates allegedly owing allegiance to AIADMK as members of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.
Petitioner K Balu, President of Advocates Forum for Social Justice, affiliated to PMK, submitted that six out of 11 members nominated are either government lawyers or standing counsel of state-owned undertakings.
He alleged that government had misused the provision available in Article 316 of the Constitution and appointed the members in return for their "impeccable affinity" to AIADMK for legal services rendered by them in court cases, defending Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during crisis.
He also alleged that the five others were also individuals "without integrity" and were ineligible to be nominated as members of TNPSC.

He said the Chief Secretary had failed to give adequate representation to women and experts from various fields of medicine, engineering, agriculture, administration, so that it may contain a comprehensive composition.
Balu contended that the appointments were made without following any transparent procedure and in an arbitrary manner without laying down any guidelines or following the mandatory law laid down by the apex court.

He also alleged that the members appointed belonged to one particular community. The petitoner claimed that for the first time in the history of TNPSC, seven out of 15 members belong to the non-service category.
Hence, he sought a direction to declare the Jan 31, 2016 appointment of the members as illegal and to consequently set it aside.

The Forum also sought an interim stay on operation of the Government Order issued during pendency of the writ petition.
As per the G.O, AIADMK government appointed Dr R Prathap Kumar, V Subbaiah, S Muthuraj, M Sethuraaman, A V Balusamy, M Madasamy and others as TNPSC members.