PMO clears new norms for CVC selection

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office has finally cleared the new guidelines for appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), prompting the department of personnel and training (DoPT) to start the formal process of selecting the new CVC. The department has written to all ministries, departments and PSUs seeking nominations for the CVC's post.

"The DoPT has received the guidelines from the PMO. We have already sent letters to the various ministries asking them to suggest names for CVC," confirmed DoPT Secretary Alka Sirohi.

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had, while quashing P J Thomas' appointment as CVC over a month ago, opened up the CVC's post to non-civil servants with due experience in banking, insurance, law, vigilance and investigations.

The DoPT Secretary confirmed that the revised guidelines on CVC appointment were strictly in line with the directions of the Supreme Court. This essentially means that candidates to be empanelled for selection as CVC should be civil servants with an outstanding record or persons of impeccable integrity. The empanelment would be finalised by the personnel secretary, who would also have to record grounds for selection or rejection of a candidate.

According to sources, the eligible age ceiling for CVC would be 61 years, thus ensuring a four-year-tenure ahead of retirement at 65 years.

Incidentally, even before the PMO approved the DoPT file on revised guidelines for CVC appointment, the personnel department has been receiving private applications recommending all sorts of names for the statutory post.All these applications, including those bordering on the frivolous and absurd, cannot be set aside without recording due reasons for rejection. This, sources indicate, may prolong the CVC selection process over the next two to three months.

The delay in appointment of a new CVC appears to be hurting the CBI the most. Already faced with a manpower crunch, the premier investigative agency is faced with several appointments and promotions getting stuck due to the absence of CVC to clear them. The appointments of two additional directors are pending, while the promotion of additional director V K Gupta to special director has been stuck pending the vacant top slot in CVC. Similarly, four IG-level officers are waiting for their promotions to be cleared by the new CVC. The stalemate is also affecting the appointments and promotions at the level of the DIG and SP. The promotion of 8 officers from SP to DIG rank is stuck, as is the induction of 8 new SPs.