‘Sorry, governor has the file’: Raj Bhavan Secy doesn’t have names of 12 people recommended for MLCs

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari during the convocation programme of Savitribai Phule Pune University on Tuesday

The names of the 12 people of imminence who have been recommended for appointment to the legislative council cannot be known officially from the Raj Bhavan because the governor has kept in his custody the dossier that has come from the state government. This is the reply the governor's deputy secretary gave in response to the appeal against the denial of Right To Information (RTI).

RTI activist Anil Galgali had on April 22 filed a query seeking to know the status of the proposal (dated November 6, 2020) submitted by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari regarding the appointment of members to the upper house.

Jayaraj Chaudhary, under-secretary, Governor's secretariat, informed him that the list of nominees was not available in the office of the Public Information Officer (administration). Later, Galgali went into the first appeal against the order.

When Galgali asked for it three months ago, the CMO, too, denied him similar information saying that the names cannot be given because the final decision was pending.

Prachi Jambhekar, deputy secretary to the governor, heard the appeal on Tuesday. "I asked the officer that if it was not there in the Raj Bhavan office, where will I get the recommended names from. She said the governor has the file, including the list and information, which will be made available once the decision is taken. She further said that since this matter is subjudice, they will have to take legal advice for supplying the information," said Galgali.

Eligibility for nomination

As per Article 171 (2) (2) and 171 (5) of the Constitution, the governor can appoint people having special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art co-operative movement and social service to the upper house. The issue has become a bone of contention between the Maha Vikas Aghadi and Governor Koshyari. CM Thackeray, his deputy Ajit Pawar and minister Ashok Chavan sought PM Narendra Modi's intervention in the procedure which they alleged the governor is delaying, despite the proposal being legal and approved by a majority government.

Social worker Ratan Luth has filed a PIL in the matter in the Bombay High Court, which observed last month that the governor should not sit on the proposal and decide on the nominees' list. The court has made the governor's secretary a respondent in the case.

Governor objects?

Sources said that the governor has objected to certain nominees on the grounds that they do not fit the constitutional requirement for eligibility. The nominees include seasoned politicians, who are apparently being rehabilitated after getting defeated in direct polls or are those who either shifted their loyalty to constituents or are MVA associates.

The three MVA constituents have shared four seats each, and the names they have put in public domain are - Urmila Matondkar, Chandrakant Raghuvanshi, Nitin Bangude Patil and Vijay Karanjkar (Shiv Sena); Eknath Khadse, Raju Shetti, Anand Shinde and Yashpal Bhinge (NCP) and Rajani Patil, Sachin Sawant, Muzaffar Hussain and Anirudh Bankar (Congress).