Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan demurred from approving the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s choices for information commissioner posts.
Mr. Khan has reportedly asked the Chief Secretary to examine their bonafide, including clearance from the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).
Earlier, Mr. Khan had cleared the appointment of V. Hari Nair, former law secretary, as Chief Information Commission.
However, the Raj Bhavan received many complaints regarding the merit of the LDF’s information commissioner nominees.
The complainants included the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC), which alleged grave aberrations in the nomination process.
The SUCC had alleged that the government had violated the Supreme Court’s guidelines regarding selection of information commissioners.
The LDF government had nominated M. Sreekumar, T.K. Ramakrishnan and Sonichan B Joseph, a journalist, to the key posts.
The SUCC argued that the candidates, allegedly political nominees, lacked the eminence demanded under the RTI Act, and their qualifications were allegedly suspect.
