Governor R.N. Ravi returns file on TNPSC appointments

Ravi has raised a few queries about how the candidates recommended for appointment to the posts were finalised and whether the guidelines of the Supreme Court were adopted in the process

Governor R.N. Ravi

Governor R.N. Ravi has returned the file relating to the appointment of chairman and members of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) to the Tamil Nadu government.

According to official sources, the Governor has raised a few questions about how the candidates recommended for appointment to these posts were finalised and whether the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court were adopted in the process.

The State government had sent a file proposing the names of C. Sylendra Babu, former Director-General of Police/Head of Police Force, and 8 other persons for appointment as TNPSC chairman and members respectively, the sources said.

Mr. Babu retired from service on June 30, 2023, at the age of 61, since he got a two-year tenure as DGP, which is irrespective of the date of superannuation in accordance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines in the Prakash Singh case. Though the tenure of the TNPSC chairman is for a period of six years, the upper age limit is 62.

The TNPSC is headed by a chairman and has 14 other members, all appointed by the Governor under the provisions of Articles 316-319 of the Constitution that deal with the structure of the State Public Service Commissions.

The Raj Bhavan has returned the file to the government seeking details of the advertisement published in the public domain calling for applications to the posts of chairman/members, the number of applications received, the process of scrutiny and the elimination criteria to ensure transparency in the exercise, the sources said.

Online gaming authority

In a separate development, Mr. Ravi cleared the appointment of chairman and four members of the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority, which was constituted under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022.

Md. Nasimuddin, a retired IAS officer, was appointed the chairman. M.C. Sarangan, IPS (retired); C. Chellappan, retired professor, College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai; O. Raveendran, retired clinical psychologist, Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai; and Vijay Karunakaran, Founder and CEO, In-Gage Group, were appointed the members.