Plea in SC to make records relating to appointment of CBI Director public [Read Petition]

NGO Common Cause has moved the Supreme Court by way of a Public Interest Litigation petition challenging the appointment of M Nageshwar Rao as interim Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)..The petitioner has also prayed that records of deliberations and criteria related to short-listing and selection of the Director, CBI be recorded and made available to citizens in consonance with the provisions of the Right to Information Act (RTI Act)..The petitioner has contended that the appointment of Nageshwar Rao is illegal, arbitrary, mala fide and in violation of the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (henceforth DSPE Act) and the judgment of the Supreme Court in Alok Verma Vs. Union of India [WP (C) No. 1309 of 2018] and Common Cause Vs. Union of India [WP (C) NO. 1315 of 2018]..Besides praying for quashing the appointment of Nageshwar Rao as interim Director, the petitioner has sought issuance of an appropriate writ for appointment of a Director, CBI as per the procedure established by law and appropriate directions to ensure transparency in the process of short-listing, selection and appointment of the Director of the CBI..The following prayers have been made by the petitioner:.Quash the order dated January 10, 2019 appointing M Nageshwar Rao as Interim/ Acting Director of CBIDirect Central government to appoint a regular Director of CBI forthwith by following the procedure laid down in Section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946,Ensure that all records of deliberations and rational criteria related to short-listing and selection of the Director, CBI be properly recorded and made available to citizens in consonance with the provisions of the RTI Act;Direct Central government to ensure transparency in the short-listing, selection and appointment process of Director, CBI by:.Publicly disclosing, including through the website, the procedure and rational criteria for shortlisting candidates, if any short listing is done..Publicly disclosing, including through the website, the composition, mandate and minutes of meetings of the screening/search committee set up..Publicly disclosing the names of short-listed candidates so that people can inform the selection committee of any significant adverse information they may have about any such candidate..Publicly disclosing, including through the website, the minutes of the meetings of the selection committee..Read the petition below.