Hyderabad:
The Telugu Desam Party has demanded Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's resignation after the High Court set aside the appointment of four Congress workers as Information Commissioners under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act).
"It's a big slap on Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's face. He should step down from his post immediately," TDP general secretary Varla Ramaiah said.
The High Court annulled the appointment of Congress workers Lam Tantiya Kumari, M Vijaya Nirmala, V Venkateswarlu and Imtiaz Ahmed, directing the state government to appoint others as Information Commissioners in their place. They were appointed by the Reddy government in February this year despite Governor ESL Narasimhan's objections.
On February 21, 2012, the AP Governor refused to appoint four Congress workers as Information Commissioners though a high-level selection committee comprising the chief minister, the deputy chief minister and the Leader of Opposition had cleared their names.
However, Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu, had sent a "dissent note" to the Governor opposing the appointment of Congress workers as Information Commissioners in total violation of the RTI Act.