The Allahabad High Court has summoned the Principal Secretaries of the Department of Appointment & Personnel and the Ministry of Law & Justice in relation to the appointment of the Presiding Officer of the Municipal Corporation Tribunal.
The Lucknow Division Bench comprising Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Abdul Moin passed this order on September 3, while hearing a petition filed by Chandra Pal Verma.
The petition sought direction to fill the post of Presiding Officer to the Nagar Mahapalika Tribunal, so as to enable the petitioner to put forth his case before the Tribunal and get the matter decided on merits.
The Court noted that the post of presiding officer Nagar Mahapalika Tribunal was lying vacant for more than two years.
Additional District and Sessions Judge, Agra, Sudhir Kumar IV, was recommended for appointment to the post in question by the Administrative Committee of the Allahabad High Court.
Later, the state government requested the Registrar General, Allahabad High Court to send the name of some other judicial officer for appointment to the post in question, without stating any reasons.
While taking a strict stand on this, the Court said-
“We fail to understand as to why and under what authority the State Government can ask to send the name of some other judicial officer, other than the name recommended by the High Court for appointment on the post in question.”
The Court then ordered the Principal Secretaries of the Department of Appointment & Personnel and the Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of UP, to appear before it on the next date of hearing on September 9.