New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) informed the Delhi Court on Tuesday that the process of hiring 80 additional public prosecutors (APP) for the government of the National Capital Territory will be complete by March.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma was dealing with the plea and listed the matter for next hearing on March 15.
The UPSC in its affifdavit said that the proposal it received for recruitment was in October 2020 with a total of 3,155 candidates.
It was stated that out of the total candidates, 2,122 appeared for the recruitment test and only 261 were called to appear for the interview by the UPSC.
Turning down the city government’s claim that a fresh proposal has been sent for recruitment of more prosecutors, the commission said: “It is humbly submitted that the statement made by the counsel of GNCT of Delhi as mentioned in order dated 11.01.2023 is incorrect and inappropriate in as much as no fresh proposal has been received from the government of NCT for filling up either the post of public prosecutors or assistant public prosecutors.”
Earlier, the bench while hearing a plea seeking direction to create 73 posts of APPs to be posted in fast-track special courts (FTSCs) functioning in Delhi for the trials of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act and rape matters, adjourned the matter for hearing on April 10, 2023.
The counsel for the petitioner submitted that they have only 37 prosecutors and what will only 37 prosecutors do in 73 courts?
The plea filed by the Delhi Prosecutors’ Welfare Association had alleged that a shortage of APPs is having adverse effects on the criminal justice system.
Filed through lawyers Aditya Kapoor, Manika Goswamy, Harsh Ahuja, Akash Deep Gupta and Kushal Kumar, the plea had also sought the court’s direction to the government to create APP posts and make subsequent appointments.
“Such a shortage of additional public prosecutors is having adverse effects on the criminal justice system and the whole objective of establishing fast-track special courts for the trials of sensitive matters is being defeated by such shortage,” the plea had stated.
(IANS)
