Choosing the CVC

The government has been making haste slowly in certain key appointments, like that of the Central Vigilance Commissioner. Now that the Supreme Court has taken an interest in the procedure for selection, the appointment is likely to be delayed further. Political manoeuvring cannot be avoided altogether and it is a given that politics is bound to play a role in key appointments after a change in government at the Centre. But it has become even more complicated after the top court came down hard on the ruling dispensation.

The CVC is crucial because the occupant is the watchdog against corruption and holds sway over all officers, including chairmen and MDs of public sector banks controlling huge loan portfolios. The question the apex court judges are asking is whether by excluding everyone except the career bureaucrat from the IAS cadre, are the rulers looking at too narrow a field of talent. Transparency as the hallmark of such appointments is being demanded but the government has been able to offer only excuses about speculative media reports.

What the government may also look at is the pliability, or otherwise, of the occupant. This is a pity because the CVC must be such a meritorious person that s/he must be an obvious choice for any selection committee. Subjective procedures to whittle down the shortlist by a committee of IAS officers have been commented upon too by the court. The appointment of a CVC is tricky enough; with the generous leavening of politics the picking of an officer of probity and good judgment becomes onerous.