The Gauhati High Court has stayed the process of appointment of a new chairperson and members of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC).
The stay on Friday was based on a petition each by Colonel Koj Tari and Taba Rosy, who challenged the Arunachal Pradesh government’s cancellation of their appointment as commission members on April 18.
The further process of selection of the members of the APPSC “shall remain stayed” until the final disposal of the writ petitions filed by the duo, the court said.
The court, however, denied the petitioners’ prayers for interim relief, stating that “it requires more deliberations”.
The petitioners said that the recalling of their appointment was “unconstitutional and on flimsy reason”.
The APPSC has been under the scanner since August 28, 2022, when a candidate for the examination for the post of assistant engineer (civil) lodged a police complaint, stating that the question papers for the exam held on August 26 and 27 had been leaked.
There has been a series of protests against the alleged corruption in the APPSC. Several heads in the commission rolled and the government appointed retired Lt. Gen. Shantanu Dayal as the new chairperson in February.
Succumbing to pressure from groups of “deprived” candidates and parents, the Pema Khandu government recalled the appointment of the new chairperson and the members on March 29.
