Chairman, 2 members of NCSC appointed, Centre tells Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the chairperson and two members of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) have been appointed.

The NCSC is a constitutional institution meant to safeguard the interests of the Scheduled Castes and offer them protection against discrimination and exploitation.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, told a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which was hearing a plea seeking a direction for filling up all the vacant posts in the commission, that the chairperson and two members of the panel have been appointed and the body is functional.

The counsel representing the petitioner said two posts of commission members were still lying vacant.

The ASG told the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, that due to the ongoing election process, the two vacant posts can’t be filled and that it will be done after the polls are over.

He said Kishor Makwana was appointed as the new chairperson of the NCSC last month.

When the petitioner’s counsel raised some issues about the new appointees, the bench told Nataraj, “Give us a short bio-data of the people appointed. You can make a statement that the other two members will be appointed after elections.”

The petitioner’s counsel said he has received the counter affidavit filed by the Centre only on April 6 and he needed some time to file a rejoinder.

The bench has posted the matter for hearing on April 19.