Kozhikode: In a suspicious move, the General Education Department in Kerala has decided not to reveal the identity of judges in the state youth festivals even under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
A circular from the office of the Director of General Education said that the information would not be made public henceforth as it could pose a threat to the personal safety of the judges.
Ironically, the latest move has come even amid announcements by the authorities that the judging process of the competitive events at the youth festivals would be made transparent.
Moreover, widespread complaints have been raised recently over the qualifications of the persons judging the events. It was alleged that unqualified people and those having a bad track record were made judges.
Incidentally, the government authorities had disclosed all details regarding judges of youth festivals until last year.
The festival manual says that judges should be selected after an elaborate process. After inviting applications from people willing to evaluate the events, a panel of experts has to interview the candidates who are initially selected. A Vigilance check has to be carried out on these candidates before they are finally selected.
However, there were allegations that this procedure has not being followed since last year from the sub-district level onwards. Instances of people who had not learnt classical dance judging these competitions and Mohiniyattam dancers becoming judges for Bharatanatyam were reported. In some cases, judges produced fake certificates to occupy the posts.