Itanagar: The much awaited swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed chairman of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), Professor Pradip Lingfa, is scheduled to take place on January 21 at Raj Bhavan here.
Governor K T Parnaik will preside over the ceremony, administering the oath of office and the oath of secrecy to Prof Lingfa, who secured the position as chairman of APPSC, officials said on Friday.
Lingfa was a professor at the department of mechanical engineering, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science &Technology (NERIST).
The official appointment was made through a government notification dated December 12, 2023 following the recommendation of the state government under Clause (1) of Article 316 of the Constitution of India, read with clause 4 of Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission Regulations 1988.
The APPSC comprises a chairman and 4 members as per the APPSC Regulations, 1988 as amended from time to time. These appointments are slated for a term of six years from the date of assuming office or until reaching the age of 62 years, as per the provisions of clause (2) of Article 316 of the Constitution of India.
Col (Retd) Koj Tari and former National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) member Rosy Taba have already assumed office as new members of the APPSC on December 13 while another member, Dr Ashan Riddi, is yet to take the oath of office and secrecy due to pending office procedures related to his current position.
The APPSC plays a vital role in the recruitment and selection of personnel for various government posts in the state.
The chairs and memberships of the chairman and the three members fell vacant in October 2022 subsequent to the resignation of the previous officials from their respective roles. The decision to step down was prompted by the exposure of a question paper leak.
The paper leak incident came to light after one Gyamar Padang, a candidate of the APPSC assistant engineer (civil) examination himself, filed a police complaint before the Itanagar police station on August 29 claiming that he suspected that the examination paper had been leaked.
The case was initially investigated by the Capital police and later transferred to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police and then the CBI.
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