The State government’s decision to appoint Kripa Alva as Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has riled activists, who have argued against appointing a Congress memberwithout any relevant experience to the post.
Ms. Alva will take over on July 1 as the incumbent H.R. Umesh Aradhya completes his term at the end of this month. Sixteen persons, including several eminent child rights activists, had applied for the post, sources said.
The Congress-led government had set a bad precedent by appointing politicians to the quasi-judicial body meant for ensuring justice to children, V.P. Niranjan Aradhya, fellow at the Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School of India University, told The Hindu . “The State is politicising institutions by directly appointing active politicians to such bodies. It is violation of basic principles of maintaining transparency and procedural formalities,” he added.
Nagasimha G. Rao, director, Child Rights Trust said the State government had dishonoured the work of experts who had applied for the post.
