The Hindu : SHRC members deny allegations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

SHRC members deny allegations

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, FEB. 13. The newly-appointed State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) members, V.P. Mohankumar and S. Varghese, have denied the allegations raised against them in a writ petition challenging their appointments.

In his affidavit, Mr. Mohankumar pointed out that a person who had been an acting Chief Justice was `a person who has been a Chief Justice of a High Court within the meaning' of Section 21(2) of the Protection of Human Rights Act. He had retired as Acting Chief Justice. The former judge also denied that he had exerted undue influence to get himself appointed as a member. The intention of the petitioner was to tarnish his image. He denied that his senior had influenced the process of selection in the matter of his appointment. Neither had his erstwhile colleague in the profession who was the present Law Secretary influenced the Chief Minister. It was unfortunate that these names had been dragged into the controversy.

Mr. Varghese in his affidavit denied that he had been appointed because he was friendly to the UDF. He said that there was no provision in the Act which said that the recommendation of the Leader of the Opposition was mandatory for appointment of a member to the commission. There was no merit in the contention of the petitioner that members of the commission could not be appointed in a piecemeal manner. It was well within the authority of the State Government to make appointments as and when the Government found it necessary. Answering another allegation, the affidavit said that he had been involved in dealing with various social problems of the poor and uneducated. He was the vice-president of the Thiruvananthapuram Diocese Pastoral Council.

The affidavits were filed before the High Court in response to the petition filed by Jomon Puthenpurackal, a social activist. In a reply affidavit, he countered the argument made in this affidavit.

Petition dismissed

A Bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice, N. K. Sodhi, and Justice K.K. Dinesan dismissed a writ petition challenging the appointment of G. Mohandas as managing director of the Kerala State Warehousing Corporation.

The petition, filed by the Kerala State Warehousing Corporation Employees Union, affiliated to the CITU, was dismissed on grounds of considerable delay in filing the petition against the appointment. The court pointed out that the appointment was made in September 2001 and the petition filed in February 2004. The Bench refused to accept the contention of the petitioner that the petition was filed late because the union had realised only now that the corporation was running on loss because of the various `illegal' actions of the managing director.

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