NEW DELHI: The government has thrown open the job of the Central Vigilance Commissioner to private citizens who have held CEO or managing director positions in the corporate sector, potentially heralding a new chapter for one of most important constitutional posts India that has until now been the preserve of the bureaucracy.Ahead of a keenly-watched Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, the government has issued a new circular in which it says such executives can apply directly to it for the CVC’s job. The key conditions: applicants must have a 25-year experience in the finance, insurance and banking sectors, must have held CEO or MD level positions or must have been a whole-time director on the board for at least three years.There is no permanent CVC in place at present. A SC bench headed by then Chief Justice RM Lodha had pulled up the government in September asking why private persons could not apply directly for the post of CVC but be dependent on a recommendation by a Government Secretary for the same, when the CVC Act has a specific provision for selection of a private person for the post if he has expertise in finance, including insurance and banking, or law.Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi had contended before SC in September that it was not possible to invite public applications for these top posts.“Lakhs of applications will come,” the AG then said. The government has however now backed down and says private persons can send applications directly to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) by November 5 but they should not be more than 62 years of age as on January 1, 2015. “Serving persons are required to send their applications through proper channel. All those persons who had applied or whose names gave been sponsored or initiated in response to this Department’s letter of July 21 are also required to apply afresh,” the circular issued on Monday says.It has specified that all applicants should be of “outstanding merit and impeccable integrity” and have “knowledge and at least experience of 25 years in the relevant field (s)”.The new circular has inserted fresh provisions in respect of private candidates vying for the post.“Such persons who are in employment of a private company must have held or is holding the position of Managing Director/CEO, as a whole-time Director on the Board of the Company for a period of at least three years,” the new circular says. It adds that the persons “must have acquired eminence and have outstanding achievement” in relevant fields.For PSU officials, the circular has cited similar provisions saying only a person who has held or is holding the position of Chairman/Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a Schedule “A” Central PSU, and has also served as Whole Time Director on the Board for at least three years, can apply and will be considered for the post of CVC. Apart from the post of the CVC, one post of the Vigilance Commissioner is also vacant as of now.