Agartala: A leading human rights activists and Citizens’ Forum of Tripura Nirboya, warned to move the Supreme Court against appointment of Justice (Retd) K J Sengupta as Chairman of the Tripura Human Rights Commission (THRC) and former Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC) member as THRC member.
Chief of the organisation Dr Ashok Sinha alleged that appointment of Justice Sengupta as chairman of THRC and Samiran Das, former member of TPSC in the post of a member were completely illegal and done arbitrarily at the whims of the Left Front government violating the law.
According to them, Justice Sengupta is holding the post of Lokayukta Sikkim and also holding the post of chairman THRC for last one year, which is totally illegal.
Similarly, as per the constitution of India, after holding post in public service commission, no other post can be accorded to a person. But in case of Das, after serving in TPSC, he was brought to THRC and more over he was more than 62 years that time, the activists alleged.
“THRC was a compulsion for Left Front government when Supreme Court issued deadline for it. The government is not at all serious about protection of human rights where violation is rampant in Tripura. The government wants to present a clean image of good governance and rule of law, the state government did not form THRC since 1993,” Dr Sinha said.
Justice Sengupta took up THRC as a part time assignment though he has been holding office of profit as Lokayukta Sikkim. And Das knows it well being a judicial officer, after serving TPSC he cannot come to THRC. But both joined illegally just to save the face of the left front government.
“We appeal to Justice Sengupta and Das to resign from their positions immediately on moral ground,” Dr Sinha said.
Citing Section 4.1 of the Sikkim Lokayukta Act, Dr Sinha claimed that no person could concurrently hold two positions if he or she were in the position of the Sikkim Lokayukta in the first place. The state government had earlier tried to clarify its stand on the controversy saying that the Sikkim Lokayukta Act allowed Justice Sengupta to hold any other post along with his position as Lokayukta in Sikkim if holding the second post didn’t come within the definition of office of profit.
However, in compliance with Rule 11 (i) of the Tripura Human Rights Commission Rules 2015, Justice Sengupta hasn’t been provided any salary except TA and DA from the THRC. Challenging the version of the state government, Dr Sinha said that office of profit didn’t constitute of drawing remuneration alone. (UNI)
