The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) has issued a point-by-point rebuttal over the statement of government spokesperson and minister K.G. Kenye at Thursday’s press conference and termed the government’s justification as “rhetoric” on the issue of induction of non-State Civil Service (SCS) officers into the IAS.
JCC said it was compelled to clarify the government’s repeated assertions on the issue.
While implying that the government had misled, JCC cited political theorist Hannah Arendt’s words: “The real danger isn’t making people believe lies. It is making them give up on truth entirely.”
JCC maintained that while the IAS induction controversy had already been “widely highlighted and understood,” it was necessary to “once again debunk the government spokesperson’s statements.”
Reacting to the spokesperson’s claim that “the government acted within the constitutional framework over IAS induction,” JCC countered that there was no constitutional compliance when irregularly appointed officers entered service in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India.
JCC said induction into the IAS was not akin to attaining sainthood where past sins are forgiven as the rule of law must prevail.
Hitting out at the spokesperson for terming as “misleading” the JCC allegation that “backdoor appointees were included in the IAS list” and then claiming that “regularized officers serving with integrity and seniority had earned their due consideration;” JCC asked “What would you call an officer who entered service without undergoing the constitutionally mandated process of recruitment?”
JCC maintained that such appointments were “irregular and illegal,” therefore, warranting the term “backdoor appointees”. Citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Uma Devi vs. State of Karnataka (2006), JCC hit back saying regularization of irregularly appointed employees does not cure the defect of the initial appointment. It advised the government not to white-wash backdoor appointees and glorify them.
On the statement “not everyone can excel in competitive exams, but if officers prove their capability through service and responsibility, there should be room for their advancement as well,” JCC said it was an irony, that the government was pleading the case of such backdoor appointee for equal opportunity when the employee’s appointment violated Article 16 of the Constitution.
On the government’s claim that the Supreme Court judgment from Rajasthan upheld inclusion of a non-SCS officer, and the situation in Nagaland was comparable, JCC rejected the argument and clarified that the Supreme Court’s judgment with respect to Rajasthan was in no way comparable to the case in Nagaland.
It explained that the Rajasthan case dealt with seats for non-SCS officers for induction into the IAS, to which the Rajasthan Administrative Service had objected. In contrast, JCC said, the present case in Nagaland concerns the inclusion of irregularly appointed officers in the panel list for IAS induction.
Kenye clarifies error in IAS induction list
Correspondent
KOHIMA, OCT 31 (NPN): State government spokesperson and minister, K.G. Kenye, on Thursday rectified an error made during a press conference on October 16, in which he had incorrectly mentioned Dr. Zasekuolie Chüsi as one of the IAS inductees who were non-NPSC entrants.
Addressing the media at Hotel Japfü, Kohima, Kenye clarified that Dr. Chüsi had, in fact, entered government service through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
“The names that I read out last time, I would like to rectify one mistake. There was an oversight in the records, and I was made to mention the name of Dr. Zasekuolie Chüsi, who is now the ex-officio secretary and director of the census department. He is an NPSC entry, and for that earlier mistake, I apologise,” Kenye stated.
He further said that the correction was necessary to maintain factual accuracy and avoid any misrepresentation concerning officers inducted into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from Nagaland.