SC sends notice to states in contempt petition alleging disobedience of court directions on recruitment to state pollution control boards

The Supreme Court Thursday issued notice to the Chief Secretaries of all the States in a contempt petition alleging disobedience of the Court's direction to make appropriate recruitment rules for appointment of qualified members to State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB).

A division bench of Justices Vineet Saran and SR Bhat after hearing advocate Fuzail Ahmed Ayyubi for the petitioner proceeded to send notice to all states.

It also said if the response to the contempt petition is not filed by January 29, then the alleged contemnors i.e. the chief secretaries would have to remain present in the Court.

The top court in 2017, had directed all states to frame appropriate guidelines or recruitment rules within six months, considering the institutional requirements of the SPCBs and the law laid down by statute, by the Court and as per the reports of various committees and authorities and to ensure that suitable professionals and experts were appointed to the SPCBs.

It added that the principle of good governance while establishing viable institutions should comprise professionally competent persons and this parameter is applicable not only to administrative but statutory bodies alike, including the SPCBs, since statutory bodies are the creation of law made by the competent legislature.

Petitioner, Amitabh Srivastava, an advocate by profession filed the contempt petition alleging breach of the court's directives to frame appropriate rules.