JOIN USThe BJP continues to torpedo the UPA government’s appointments in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with attempts being made to instal former Supreme Court judge Justice Cyriac Joseph as the judicial member.
Earlier, the principle opposition party had made botched attempts to check Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s move to get the Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) S C Sinha as an NHRC member.
But the government overruled the BJP’s objection. And the story is being repeated again.
The prime minister had convened a meeting to decide the appointment of the NHRC member and presented before the appointment committee three candidates for selection.
The committee headed by the prime minister also includes the Union home minister, Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of Parliament, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. In case there is no unanimity in the choice of candidate, the majority decision is taken as final.
The BJP leaders are believed to have given their dissent notes on the move to appoint Justice Joseph owing to objections they have had during his stint as a judge of the apex court.
It is learnt that Joseph did not deliver the verdict on the disproportionate assets petition against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav before his retirement in 2009, which was contrary to the judicial practice. A reconstituted bench later delivered the verdict.
The BJP has been opposing post-retirement largesse offered by the government to top bureaucrats and judicial officers on the grounds that it is an allurement to curry favours.