PANAJI
A group of citizens has approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of a Maharashtra university professor as a member of the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC).
The petitioners, Santosh Manjrekar, Premendra Vernekar, Inacio Dominic Pereira, and John Nazareth, have sought to quash the appointment, alleging that the government did not follow the prescribed recruitment procedures.
Citing information obtained under the Right to Information Act, 2005, the petitioners pointed out that no official order was issued to conduct a search or nominate eligible candidates for the GPSC position.
They further stated that no search or scrutiny report was prepared regarding Dr Udaysinh Raorane’s appointment as a GPSC member.
According to the PIL, no advertisement was issued by the Personnel Department inviting applications for the post. Since no such announcement was made, no other candidates had the opportunity to apply.
The petitioners also claimed there was no information on how Raorane was informed about the vacancy or who had certified his antecedents and documents.
“Shockingly, no criteria were considered before appointing Raorane as a member of GPSC. Instead, the petitioners were informed that ‘the process of appointment of Udaysinh Raorane as Member of the Goa Public Service Commission was undertaken as per the decision of the Government,’” it stated.
They further highlighted that despite being appointed on July 10, 2023, Raorane had not assumed charge as he was yet to be relieved from his position at the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, where he was employed.
The PIL argued that a GPSC member functions as a constitutional authority and must possess the ability, integrity, and independence to maintain public confidence in the commission’s selections.
The petitioners thus raised concerns over the decision-making process in appointing Raorane, questioning his eligibility for the position and how the appointment was made without public notification.
The PIL will be taken up for hearing on March 26.
