ASKING THE government not to pass the buck, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to appoint Director General (Investigation) at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) within a week. A bench led by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar also asked the Centre to appoint a member of the human rights body within four weeks. “You (Centre) will be in trouble if we start dealing with this matter and pass some orders. So don’t pass the buck. You cannot keep on delaying these appointments,” the bench told Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, who appeared for the government. Watch what else is making news: She informed the bench that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had to clear the appointment of the Director General whereas the selection process for the member had to be done again since the one selected has declined to accept the position. Despite a clearance by the ACC, BJP vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna later declined to accept the position. “You say there is some delay. (But) it is not some delay. The post of a member is vacant since March 2014 - three years. You cannot keep a post vacant for three years,” the court said, adding it will give the government one week to appoint the Director General since the file has already reached the ACC. “We hope and trust that the appointment will be made within four weeks,” the court stated. The court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Radha Kant Tripathy, who had complained against the inordinate delay in making appointments.
