Readers might
recall that several months ago, prestigious newspaper Hindu had carried
articles on the move to appoint ombudsmen by CBEC. They were to have
sweeping powers.
Subsequently,
Supreme Court Lawyer Prashant Bhushan (Anna Hazare Team Member) wrote
to PM that tainted persons should not be appointed for such a new
initiative.
Despite
charges of corruption and serious financial irregularities, he managed
to get a clean chit from his own Vigilance Directorate, as some of the
complaints later said that though
signatures appeared to be theirs, the complaints were not signed by
them. Without going into facts, these were then closed as being
pseudomonas.
What
sank his candidature was the LLB Degree that he obtained from Calcutta
University while remaining posted in Delhi during those years. It can
not be a distance course or correspondence course where 75% attendance
where 75% attendance is mandatory.
The ADG (Vigilance) of Calcutta then confirmed that the Degree had been obtained fraudulently.
Govt.
realised that it would be open to embarrassment if it had to defend
such "enterprising" and "creative artists" like Mr. Sharan, and after
keeping the matter in limbo for several months, it approved the other 3
names but rejected his candidature.
For the other three, whose candidature could not go through because of the 4th, moral of the story is : Don't keep bad company.
Will Barrister HK Sharan now move Supreme Court to argue his case ?