Team Herald
PANJIM: Arvind Kumar H Nair, former Goa Chief of Intelligence of Bureau, MHA and Chief Immigration Officer and Atmaram Barve, currently posted as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister are likely to be appointed as the State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) and the State Information Commissioner (SIC).
The three-member selection committee headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar and Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao on Thursday, selected Barve for the post of SIC.
The selection committee had in July selected Nair for the post of SCIC. Both the posts had fallen vacant from March this year.
As many as 24 applicants were vying for the post of CSIC, while 30 had applied for the SIC position. The diverse pool of candidates included retired judges, journalists, and lawyers. Notably, Sanjay Dhavalikar, a sitting SIC whose term ended in February,was among the applicant’s seeking appointment as CSIC and he along with the majority of the others had applied before the first deadline had expired.
However, the application process had sparked controversy due to an unexpected extension of the deadline. Initially set for February 5, 2024, the deadline was extended on February 14 to February 21. This 16-day extension had raised questions about the motivation behind the change.
The most contentious aspect of the process involved one of the three applications received during the extended period. Atmaram Barve had submitted his application within this time-frame. For perspective, there were two applications for CSIC and three for SIC (including Barve’s) received during the extended period.
The presence of the Chief Minister’s OSD among the candidates raised serious questions about the integrity of the selection process. Critics argue that it creates a clear conflict of interest, as the Chief Minister would be presiding over a committee tasked with evaluating his own close associate.
In 2019, the Supreme Court had held that eminent citizens from all walks of life and not just bureaucrats should be considered for the role of Information Commissioners.
It was revealed that there were 362 appeals, 28 complaints, and 23 penalty cases pending before the Goa SIC as on date.