CM defends child rights panel chief appointment

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday attempted to defend the controversial decision of the State government to appoint K.V. Manoj Kumar as chairperson of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapally Ramachandran had vehemently opposed the nomination on the premise that Mr Manoj was patently unqualified for the job.

Mr Ramachandran had described the appointment as an act of nepotism by Health and Social Justice Minister K. K. Shylaja. The government had passed over at least two district judges to appoint Mr. Manoj whose sole claim to eligibility was that he had headed a Parent Teachers Association and was a sympathiser of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Mr Ramachandran alleged Mr Manoj had no legal or child right activist background. “He is merely a CPM fellow traveller rewarded with a Chief Secretary level post by the government,” he said.

Mr Chennithala said the government had tweaked the eligibility criteria to appoint its favourite to the post. In the process, it had by-passed retired POSCO court judges and at least 10 child right activists with an excellent record of protecting juveniles and children in conflict with the law.

Mr Vijayan refuted the allegations. He said the committee that appointed Mr Manoj had followed the due procedure. It had weighed the eligibility of other candidates and found that Mr Manoj was most suited for the job. “He is energetic and the ideal person for the post,” the CM said.