Ranchi, Aug 6 The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday observed that the post of chairman of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), a constitutional position, cannot remain vacant for a long period.
The observation was made by a division bench of Chief Justice M S Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar while hearing a petition regarding filling up vacant posts in the state forest department.
"The post of the JPSC chairman is a constitutional post which cannot be left vacant for a long time," the bench observed.
The post of JPSC chairman has been vacant since the resignation of L. Khiangte on July 21.
During the hearing, the court directed the Advocate General to seek specific instructions from the state government regarding the immediate appointment of the JPSC chairman and inform the court about the likely timeline for the appointment.
Meanwhile, JPSC counsel Sanjay Kumar Piprawal informed the court that the process for appointment to vacant posts in the forest department had already been initiated.
He said the department had started the recruitment process for the posts of ranger and assistant conservator of forest.
The process would begin with a preliminary examination, following which shortlisted candidates would appear for the main examination, he said.
The HC observed that the recruitment process had been stalled due to the vacancy in the post of JPSC chairman and said the administrative functioning of the commission had been "grossly affected" in the absence of its head.
The court also directed the commission to submit a status report on the recruitment process for vacant posts in the forest department.
The petition was initiated by the court on its own after taking note of a severe shortage of manpower in the forest department, which had affected conservation and other administrative work.
The matter will be heard next on August 20.
