Over a month after the Delhi High Court sought the Centre’s response on delayed appointments in the National Commission for Minorities, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, remained non-committal.
All posts of Members and the Chairperson in the NCM have been vacant since April this year.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu I.S. Inbadurai and Telangana Rajya Sabha MP K.R. Suresh Reddy asked the Minister whether the government had taken note of the court’s observations regarding the long-pending vacancies in the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) and sought the present status of the appointment of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Members. They also asked whether any process had been initiated to fill these vacancies and if interim arrangements were in place to ensure that the functioning of the NCM was not adversely affected.
Mr. Rijiju, in his written reply, said that under the NCM Act, 1992, the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Members of the Commission are to be nominated by the Central government from among persons of eminence, ability and integrity.
“Further, as per Section 8(2) of the NCM Act, 1992, the Commission shall regulate its own procedure,” he said.
