Goa Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) designate Leena Mehendale has been given a 48 hour public ultimatum to prove that she has completed her Law degree as claimed by her in her bio-data for the post of CIC.
If Leena Mehendale does not come out clean on her alleged LLB degree credentials, an F.I.R would be filed against her of cheating and for having falsely stated that she had a law degree from Bombay University. Leena Mehendale in her application to the Goa Government dated 7th May this year for the post of Chief Information Commissioner had claimed that she had in 2010 obtained a Law degree from Bombay University while not enclosing a copy. Enquiries at the Bombay University have however shockingly revealed that Leena Mehendale did not complete her law degree and consequently the statement made by her is clearly a false statement. Besides, sadly from the mark sheets of the semesters she had appeared it is seen that she had just struggled to scrape through with pass class in the papers she had answered. As per the University records the results of the semesters she had appeared in 2008 and 2009 were surprisingly kept in reserve and only declared in 2010. It needs to be probed whether Leena Mehendale had misused her official clout as then Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to manipulate those results to her benefit and so her answer papers need to be re-assessed. Sources in the Maharashtra Secretariat have also revealed that Leena Mehendale had not obtained the required permission of the Maharashtra Government to enroll herself for the law studies and such an act constitutes gross misconduct more so when it comes from a high ranking official. Leena Mehendale had made a trip to Goa from March 17th to 20th this year and had visited the controversial Sanatan Ashram at Ramnathi on 19th March. We need to know whether the expenses of this private visit to Goa were borne by her or paid by the Bombay Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal of which she is a member. The fundamental requirement for the post of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) is Eminence in public life. By this entire conduct of Leena Mehendale more particularly the alleged falsifying of her educational qualification she would under no circumstances be entitled to occupy the high coveted post of CIC. The Goa Government after appointing Leena Mehendale as the Chief Information Commissioner on 3rd September 2013 has sought her willingness about joining the post. Leena Mehendale is yet to communicate to the Goa Government her decision. Instead of trying to usher in yet another ineligible migrant why can’t the Goa Government find a reputed Goan for this very vital post? In Goa the Goan should come first. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372