Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Governor K T Parnaik on Wednesday administered the oath of office and secrecy to two newly appointed members of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), Col (Retd) Koj Tari and Rosy Taba, at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan here.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, his cabinet colleagues, and other dignitaries.
However, the newly appointed APPSC chairman, Prof Pradip Lingfa and the other member, Dr Ashan Riddi, did not take the oath during the day.
It was later informed by Chief Secretary Dharmendra that both Lingfa and Riddi had requested some time to assume charge of the public service commission, and their swearing-in ceremony would be held soon.
Lingfa is a professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), while Riddi is from the Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU).
Tari is a retired colonel and Taba is a former member of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The APPSC comprises a chairman and four members as per the APPSC Regulations, 1988, as amended from time to time. These appointments are slated for a term of six years from the date of assuming office or until reaching the age of 62 years, as per the provisions of clause (2) of Article 316 of the Constitution of India.
The chairs and memberships of the chairman and the three members fell vacant in October 2022 subsequent to the resignation of the previous officials from their respective roles. The decision to step down was prompted by the exposure of a question paper leak.
In February, Lt Gen (Retd) Shantanu Dayal was selected as the chairman of APPSC, along with Col Koj Tari, Prof Pradip Lingfa, and Rosy Taba as members. However, their swearing-in ceremony was delayed due to protests by the Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee (PAJSC) against the alleged APPSC exam paper leak scam.
The paper leak incident came to light after one Gyamar Padang, a candidate of the APPSC assistant engineer (civil) examination himself, filed a police complaint before the Itanagar police station on August 29 claiming that he suspected that the examination paper had been leaked.
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The case was initially investigated by the Capital police and later transferred to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police and then the CBI.
Meanwhile, the PAJSC while responding to the new appointments that took place on Wednesday questioned the “hastiness” of the state government in following the process.
It also labelled the appointments as a clear violation of Articles 317(4) and 317(3)(b) of the Indian Constitution and claimed that Lingfa and Riddi are still employed with their respective institutions.
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