"The natural course would be to set aside the proceedings of the search committee and start the entire process de novo," said Chowdhury in a letter to the Prime Minister.

 

The Congress leader, who is also one of the members of the selection panel for the CVC, said he has raised the same before the Prime Minister and the high-powered statutory committee.

 

Chowdhury claimed that the Prime Minister had also agreed that the procedure was vitiated.

 

He said a member of the Search Committee being recommended for the post of CVC was "manifestly arbitrary and undermined the institutional integrity."

 

"This has implications for other autonomous bodies as well which strictly follow a similar procedure with regard to the appointment of their Directors/Chairpersons such the Director, CBI, Lokpal, the office of the Chief Information Commissioner and so on," he said in the letter, adding it was an unprecedented deviation from established practice.

 

He said the office of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner is a highly important one and the selection process for the same must conform to the rigours of the CVC Act, 2003 as well as the various judgments of the Supreme Court which have repeatedly stressed the need for transparency especially in the appointments of the CVC.