Probe sought into ‘gross irregularities’ in appointment of NGT employees

NEW DELHI: A complaint alleging ‘irregularities’ in the appointment and shortlisting of clerical staff at the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has been filed with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the  Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) demanding an investigation into the issue.

Gaurav Bansal, an advocate, filed the complaint on March 4, 2023, demanding a probe into the appointment of candidates for the post of judicial assistant, stenographer Grade 1 and staff car driver. In his complaint, Bansal said that the NGT had published an advertisement on July 7, 2022 to fill vacancies for these posts, in which only essential and desirable qualifications for the candidates were mentioned.

The NGT received multiple applications in response. However, on December 23, 2022, the NGT made certain amendments, adding the column ‘experience’ in the advertisement, and re-published it, he said.  
“They suddenly introduced ‘experience’ to their requirement when they had already received n-number of applications,” says Bansal. 

He said the NGT introduced ‘experience of 3-months and above’ for staff car drivers and ‘3-years and above’ for Judicial Assistant post. However, for other posts like Hindi translator, librarian, stenographer etc., no amendments were made. On February 14, 2023, the NGT declared the result and selected two candidates for the post of Assistant (Judicial) post under General Category.

For other positions, they shortlisted the candidates. In the complaint, Bansal alleged anomalies in the process of shortlisting of candidates. The NGT’s selection committee had also shortlisted some candidates for the posts of Stenographer Grade-1 and staff car driver who couldn’t be eligible per the criteria laid down by the NGT, he alleged.

“The NGT set the ‘age limit’ for the stenographer and car driver as ‘between 21 and 30 years’ and ‘between 18 and 27 years’ respectively. In disregard to its set criteria for the post of Stenographer Grade 1, the Selection Committee shortlisted one whose age was around 47 years,” the lawyer alleged.

Under the lens

• A complaint filed with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the  Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• It alleges irregularities in the process to select candidates to the posts of Judicial Assistant, Stenographer Grade 1 and Staff Car Driver.
• The complainant has alleged that an advertisement for filling the vacancies were tweaked after multiple applications had already been received.