Ranchi — The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday asked the state government to provide a detailed update on long-pending vacancies in key constitutional bodies by April 13.
The vacancies in question include crucial institutions such as the Lokayukta, the State Human Rights Commission, and the State Information Commission, all of which have remained unfilled for an extended period.
A division bench led by Chief Justice M. S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar was hearing a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) along with related contempt petitions.
Representing the state, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan informed the court that a high-level Selection Committee meeting had recently taken place at the residence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. He said key decisions regarding appointments to these constitutional posts have been taken and that the process is now nearing completion.
However, he also noted that the Chief Minister is currently out of the state due to election-related engagements in Assam. The government, he assured, will formally present the progress and decisions before the court once he returns.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate V. P. Singh, representing petitioner Rajkumar, argued that these prolonged vacancies—some pending for years—have negatively affected governance and the functioning of important quasi-judicial bodies.
Notably, the first PIL regarding the appointment of Information Commissioners was filed back in 2020. Despite multiple hearings and repeated observations from the court, several positions remain unfilled.
After hearing both sides, the bench scheduled the next hearing for April 13, expecting a clear status report from the state government on the appointments.
With inputs from IANS