|
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre on a PIL challenging the current process for appointing the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and seeking a more independent and transparent selection process.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotishwar Singh sought a response from the Centre on the plea of the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) and tagged it along with the pending matter on the same issue. The CPIL stated the present system of the Central government solely selecting the CAG hampered their independence. The plea sought a direction from the court mandating that the CAG shall be appointed by the President in consultation with an independent and neutral selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and the Chief Justice of India and in a transparent manner. Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for CPIL argued, "In recent times, the CAG has lost its independence." Bhushan said the audits of the states ruled by the BJP are being stalled and that it was an "unfortunate development." As Bhushan told the bench that appointments are controlled by the government, their independence will be disturbed, Justice Kant replied, "We have to trust our institutions also." The petitioners submitted that the current appointment process is not independent, fair, or transparent, potentially compromising the CAG's independence. The petition sought direction that the current practice of appointment of the CAG solely by the executive and the Prime Minister be declared violative of the Constitution. "The appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India solely by the executive and the Prime Minister of India undermines the independence of the office of the CAG, suffers from grave conflict of interest and thereby is detrimental to good governance and democracy in India. It is also manifestly arbitrary, detrimental to institutional integrity and violates several basic features of the constitution," the plea stated. It said that the direction for the appointment of the CAG should be similar to the appointment of other bodies, including Information Commissions and the Central Vigilance Commission. (ANI)
|
