Vinson M. Paul preferred over Jiji Thomson, Balasubramanium

Thiruvananthapuram: The selection committee constituted for appointment the State Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners recommended retired Director General of Police Vinson M. Paul for the post of Chief Information Commissioner in preference to Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson and others.

The other applicants included retired Director General of Police K. S. Balasubramanium, former Vice Chancellor of Calicut University M. Abdul Salam, Legislature Secretary P. D. Sarangadharan, Land Revenue Commissioner M. C. Mohandas, former District Judge and Law Secretary (now Devaswom Commissioner C. P. Ramaraja Prema Prasad, Joint Director (Exam) of Higher Secondary Education K. Mohan Kumar and Member of Permanent Lok Adalat Unnikrishna Panicker.

The government has stated in its counter affidavit in cases before High Court challenging the procedure adopted for the selection that the recommendations of the committee had been placed before the Cabinet for the purpose of advising the Governor to make the appointment. Accordingly, the Cabinet took a decision to accept the recommendation of the committee and sent the files to the Governor for making the appointments. (RTI activists say that Cabinet approval is not envisaged in the RTI Act).

It argued that the petitions challenging the recommendations were premature as the appointments had not been made.  The petitioners can prefer a challenge only after the appointments are made.  Opposition Leader V. S. Achuthanandan, who was a member of the Selection Committee, opposed the panel of persons selected without assigning any reason.  The other members who supported the selection were Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Industries Minister P. K. Kunhalikutty.

(The Governor has since sent back the file as the High Court had ordered status quo in the matter pending decision of the Court.)