After two HC directives, TNPSC fails to provide info on recruitment process

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

After two High Court orders and direction from the Tamil Nadu Information Commission, the state Public Service Commission is till denying information relating to the recruitment of post of assistant director of Town and Country Planning.

R Shivakumar, who filed the right to information (RTI) petition in 2008 seeking information to find out whether 41 candidates, who have been found eligible by TNPSC, satisfy the requisite norms has been made to run pillar to post and denied information despite High Court order and a state information commission directive.

“I filed the petition after I smelt something fishy as TNPSC has been denying the information continuously,” Shivakumar told Express while providing the two court orders and a Tamil Nadu Information Commission directive.

Interestingly, the state information commission in 2009 has directed public information officer to supply the information within two days of the receipt of the orders and report compliance to the commission besides levying a fine of Rs 25,000.

But TNPSC failed to provide the details and moved the high court. But then the single judge bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian in 2010 dismissed the petition of TNPSC and set a four weeks deadline to furnish the information as per the directive of Tamil Nadu Information Commission.

The judge also observed that even a person who participated in the selection but who did not get selected is entitled to know if only persons who got selected fulfilled all the essential qualifications. “Though the respondent may not be a candidate who participated in the selection but it does not mean he is not entitled to the information,” the judge had observed.

Similarly, a two-judge bench of Madras High Court on July 22, 2011 again dismissed the petition of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.

“Why is the TNPSC trying to hide the facts and not providing the information despite two high court orders and a state information commission directive,” said Shivakumar, adding that there is something fishy in the recruitment of the post.

“Now denial by TNPSC is contempt of court and it is now up to the court to take action against the erring officials,” he said.