A Jamshedpur-based environmentalist on Wednesday filed a PIL in Jharkhand High Court against appointment of principal chief conservator of forests P.K. Verma as chairperson of the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, citing it as violation of the Supreme Court order of 2017.

The PIL was filed by advocate Diwakar Upadhyay on behalf of Pratik Sharma. The petition called for directing the state government to formulate norms for appointment of the JSPCB chairman in line with a Supreme Court directive.

The Supreme Court verdict of 2017 clearly states that only experts and professionals with suitable experience are appointed to the board. It is also in violation of the 2013 Supreme Court verdict to avoid conflict of interest in the appointment of chairperson of the state pollution control board. For any appeal against the decision of the board one has to approach the state revenue council, of which the principal conservator is a member, the PIL said.