Lesson learned: Government tightens scrutiny on appointments

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The controversy over the appointment of a relative of Minister Sunny Joseph to his personal staff and the appointment of a lawyer representing an accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case as Devaswom Special Pleader in the Advocate General’s office has raised concerns for the V. D. Satheesan-led Congress government. Although the Chief Minister removed both individuals quickly, the incident has caused significant damage to the government’s image.

The Chief Minister has also instructed that all appointments already made should undergo screening. The government has decided to conduct future appointments more carefully and with greater scrutiny.

A large number of people are seeking government appointments. A total of 133 lawyers have to be appointed to the offices of the Advocate General and the Director General of Prosecutions. Among the 90 lawyers already appointed was Advocate K. B. Pradeep, who had represented Smart Creations, a company named as an accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case. The government now has to appoint 44 more lawyers, including a replacement for Pradeep.

There are questions over how Advocate K. B. Pradeep was included in the appointment list. The issue has also led to dissatisfaction within the Youth Congress. Youth Congress General Secretary Dr Jinto John reacted on social media, saying that recommendations should not be given priority while ignoring deserving people who are visible and active within the organisation.

Opposition to continue attack
Although the government has corrected the appointments, the Congress and the UDF are concerned that they will continue to face criticism from the opposition as long as the Sabarimala gold theft case remains active. Opposition leader alleged that although Advocate Pradeep held the Special Pleader post only for a few hours, documents related to the Sabarimala case may have reached him. He also raised doubts about possible manipulation in the gold theft case. CPM state secretary M. V. Govindan criticised the appointment, saying that it sends a message of an RSS agenda.

Personal staff appointments
The appointment of ministers’ personal staff has also become a challenge for the government. Only a few ministers have completed their staff appointments so far. Many recommendations are still pending before the government. The government plans to make these appointments transparent by conducting detailed checks. Since several ministers have not yet completed staff appointments, some departments have not started functioning at full capacity.