SC seeks Centre's reply on plea for appointments in NCSC

A plea seeking appointment of Chairperson and members in National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) claiming that the vacancies have made it defunct, today led the Supreme Court to ask the government to respond.
A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul sought the government's response by March 10 on the PIL seeking filling up of vacancies in the commission, which does not have any member at present.
NCSC, a statutory body formed under Article 338 of the Constitution, is a five-member body comprising a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and three members.

The PIL filed by Ambedkar Association for Development, an organisation which works for SC/ST welfare, claimed that the position of the Chairperson has been lying vacant since October 21, 2016, that of the Vice Chairman since November 4, 2016 and one out of the three members of the commission had demitted office on November 7, 2016.
It said that after the demission of office by the remaining two members on March 4 and 5, "the commission has become defunct and inoperative and on account of the same, the public in general will suffer at large."
"That the inordinate delay on the part of the government is costing the people profusely," it said, adding that this might prejudice the interest of the schedule caste.

"There would be complete vacuum in the commission and the interest of the scheduled caste would be seriously prejudiced as there would be logjam of plethora of cases pending before the NCSC," it said.
The plea also sought extension of the tenure of a woman member, who demitted the office on March 5, "to safeguard the interest of scheduled castes".