The 20 member jumbo cocktail delegation that called on Goa Governor B.V.Wanchoo today was to indirectly lobby that Mr. Sandesh Prabhudesai be appointed as the State Information Commissioner (SIC) . We have however to hope that the Governor of Goa will act in strict accordance with law and will not be pressurized or swayed away by such stage managed delegations.
The politically high-handed, illegal and manipulated selection of Sandesh Prabhudesai for the very high post of State Information Commissioner has to be opposed tooth and nail. The lobbying which was going on behind the scenes has today become official. Selection to any post has to always be strictly on merit. Any lobbying should have been a ground for straight disqualification. As per the Goa Government notification issued on 2nd March 2006, the constitution of the State Information Commission was of Chief Information Commissioner and one State Information Commissioner only. The advertisement that was issued by the Goa Government on 4th May was also for the post of Chief Information Commissioner and only one State Information Commissioner. The government now cannot seek to illegally appoint an extra State Information Commissioner just to accommodate Sandesh Prabhudesai. Sandesh Prabhudesai has himself not even applied for the post of State Information Commissioner. Interestingly his biodata submitted by Dr Oscar Rebello does not mention any dates, and neither encloses any certificates or other supporting documents. It does not state as to how Sandesh Prabhudesai has the required ‘eminence in public life’. More importantly the bio data is curiously mute on Sandesh Prabhudesai’s educational qualifications. Big states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have only four and five State Information commissioners respectively. The Goa State Information Commission can be ably managed with a CIC and one SIC, while the backlog of pending cases could be cleared in about three months. The salary and benefits of the State Information Commissioner are on par with the Chief Secretary. By unnecessarily appointing an extra Information Commissioner merely to accommodate Sandesh Prabhudesai, the government would unnecessary incur a huge financial burden for five years. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372
