HC: Appoint seniormost as director of accounts

Panaji: The high court of Bombay at Goa called on govt to appoint joint director of accounts, Thereza Fernandes, as director of accounts.

Advocate general Devidas Pangam informed the HC that the selection process was complete and the name of Fernandes — who is the seniormost candidate — was recommended for the post by the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC). He said the appointment order would be issued at the earliest.

Fernandes and Rajesh Mahale, both working as joint directors of accounts, went to the HC challenging the extension given to Dilip Humraskar. They sought that the Aug 30, 2024 order, which extended Humraskar’s services beyond the age of his superannuation, be quashed and set aside.

Fernandes is currently posted at Goa Handicrafts Rural Small Scale Industries Development Corporation, Panaji (on deputation), and Mahale is posted at the directorate of higher education, Porvorim. They approached the HC upon being aggrieved by govt’s failure to comply with the HC’s Nov 28, 2024 directions to furnish all relevant information to the GPSC to convene a departmental selection committee for the appointment of the director of accounts.

Represented by advocate Chaitanya Padgaonkar, they alleged that govt, in defiance of HC orders, was deliberately trying to perpetuate Humraskar in the post of director.

They submitted to the court that they were qualified to be promoted to the post of director of accounts and, by virtue of seniority, were both within the zone of consideration for promotion to the vacancy that arose upon the superannuation of Humraskar from Aug 31. However, like a bolt from the blue, the personnel department granted an extension of service to him beyond the age of superannuation for a period of one year, purportedly in public interest, they submitted. The order stated that the extension was subject to the approval of the council of ministers.