Centre seeks integrity certificate of Danics officers

All officers of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (Danics) in the AAP government who have completed 30 years in service are under the scanner of the Union home ministry. The BJP-led Centre has sought a list of officers of “doubtful integrity” along with the brief and “integrity certificate” from the AAP government so that the ministry could proceed further against the corrupt and inefficient bureaucrats.

Following the directions of the MHA, the Delhi government’s services department has prepared a list of about 80 Danics officials who will be completing 30 years of service on September 30. Once the MHA vets the lists, it will proceed further to enforce the Fundamental Rule 56(J) and Rules 48 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, for compulsory retirement of inefficient and corrupt officers. Not only the Danics officers, the performance and conduct of all IAS and other service officers is also reviewed by the government every year.

In his order, deputy commissioner (services) Mukesh Kumar Sharma had asked all the principal secretaries and HODs to provide the integrity certificate along with a brief in respect of the Danics officers working under their control immediately for further transmission to the MHA. The order said that the review of the mechanism was to be carried to ensure probity of the government servants and to strengthen administration.

As per FR 56(j), FR 56(l) or Rule 48(1) (b) of CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972, cases of government servants are to be reviewed six months before they attain the age of 50/55 years, in cases covered by FR56(j) and on completion of 30 years of qualifying services under FR56(i)/Rules 48 (1) (b) of the CCS (Pension) Rules.

The DoPT rules state that while considering integrity of an employee, actions or decisions taken by the employee which do not appear to be above board, complaints received against him, or suspicious property transactions, for which there may not be sufficient evidence to initiate departmental proceedings, may be taken into account.

Another criteria for compulsory retiring an officer would be conduct unbecoming of a government servant as the government has absolute right to compulsory retire such an employee in public interest.

Among the 41 senior Danics officers whose names figure in the AAP government list are deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s secretary C. Arvind, social welfare minister Sandeep Kumar’s secretary Ajay Kumar Kaushal, special secretary in services department A.R. Talwade, DTC MD Chokha Ram Garg, GAD special secretary P.C. Jain, special commissioner (trade and taxes) S.S. Kanawat, additional inspector-general (Tihar Jail) Mukesh Prasad, South MCD deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Sing, special commissioner (trade and taxes) Nans Raj Ra, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University registrar Rajiv Kale and art, culture and land OSF B.R.S. Rathore, who is under suspension.