Ranchi — The Jharkhand High Court on Monday pulled up the state government over the prolonged delay in filling key constitutional and statutory posts, including the Lokayukta and Information Commissioner, and issued a final 10-day deadline to complete the appointments.
Hearing a public interest litigation, a bench led by Chief Justice M. S. Sonak took a stern view, stating that the continued vacancies are unacceptable. The court warned that failure to issue appointment notifications within the stipulated period would invite consequences for the government. The matter is now listed for further hearing on April 23.
During the proceedings, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan informed the court that a selection committee meeting held on March 25 had recommended names, and the file was sent to the Raj Bhavan but was later withdrawn.
Counsel for the petitioner, Abhay Mishra, alleged that the government had forwarded three politically linked names—out of a panel of five—for the post of Information Commissioner, prompting objections from the Governor and the return of the file.
Responding to the court’s concerns, the Advocate General assured that the recommendations would be revised and resubmitted to the Raj Bhavan shortly.
Notably, several crucial positions in Jharkhand, including the Lokayukta, State Human Rights Commission, and State Information Commission, have remained vacant for an extended period. The issue dates back to 2020, when the first petition seeking appointments to the Information Commission was filed.
The High Court had also expressed concern during the previous hearing on April 1, when it was informed that the selection process, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, was in its final stages.
Petitioners, including Rajkumar and the Advocates’ Association, have argued that prolonged vacancies are weakening governance and affecting the functioning of key administrative and quasi-judicial bodies in the state.
With inputs from IANS