Appointment of former chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan challenged before Madras HC

CHENNAI: City-based environmental advocacy group Poovulagin Nanbargal has filed a Public Interest Litigation before the Madras high court challenging the appointment of former chief secretary of Tamil Nadu Girija Vaidyanathan as an expert member of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Admitting the pleas, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed the government and Girija Vaidyanathan to file their responses in six weeks.

According to the petitioner, the NGT Act prescribes a minimum of administrative experience of 15 years including five years in dealing with environmental matters in the central or a state government. But in violation of the provision, Girija who does not possess five-year experience in handling environmental matters has been appointed to the post, the NGO alleged.

Therefore, it wanted the court to call for the records pertaining to her appointment dated December 12 issued by the union government and quash the same.

According to the petitioner, Section 5 (2) (b) of the NGT Act says that a person shall not be qualified for appointment as an expert member unless they have administrative experience of 15 years including experience of five years in dealing with environmental matters in central or a state government or in a reputed national or state-level institution.

However, Girija who has been selected for appointment to the post has not possessed an experience of five years in dealing with environmental matters as could be seen from her complete bio data found in the official website of the union ministry of personnel, the NGO said.