Why is no proper verification conducted for appointing HPSC members?
16 Nov, 2013
A member of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), Harinder Pal Singh, has been sentenced to seven-year jail term in a case of attempt to murder.
The reply to an application filed in this regard under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that the state government failed to verify the criminal background of the member before his appointment on the constitutional post. According to the reply, a search committee consisting of the chief secretary, the urban local body’s principal secretary and town and country planning principal secretary had approved his name at a meeting held on January 9, 2013.
It had also cleared his name on grounds of character stating that no adverse evidences were found that could show that the recommended candidate was involved in a criminal or civil litigation, conviction or otherwise in a criminal court or civil court decree or any other proceedings which may have a bearing on the integrity and character of the candidate. A person convicted on heinous charges has been entrusted with the work of selecting the highest officers of the state.