Suspended Danics officials still at work

About half-a-dozen bureaucrats who had been suspended by the AAP government in the recent past are reportedly discharging their duties in their respective departments as they have not received any formal communication to this effect from their cadre-controlling authority, the Union home ministry, through lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung.

Action against both IAS and Danics officers can be taken directly by their cadre-controlling authority. The state administration has no powers to act against these officers.

The state administration can only recommend action against the officers to the Union home ministry.

A highly-placed source said that all the bureaucrats suspended by the AAP government were functioning as usual in their respective departments as they had not received any formal communication to this effect either from the Union home ministry or Raj Niwas.

First, it was chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who had ordered on-the-spot suspension of district magistrate (west) Amit Satija, sub-divisional magistrate (Punjabi Bagh) Satyender Singh and sub-divisional magistrate (Saraswati Vihar) Rahul Aggarwal in connection with the demolition drive carried out by the railways in Shakurbasti.

The chief minister had ordered the suspension of the three officers on the ground that they were insensitive towards people whose hutments had been demolished as they had not provided basic amenities to the affected people.

Following the suspension of the three officers, city transport minister Gopal Rai had ordered suspension of ad hoc Danics officer S. Roy Biswas and two others in connection with granting permits to autorickshaw owners in violation of the rules. The defence put forward by the Danics Officers’ Association in favour of Mr Roy is that the government had acted against the officer for no rhyme or reason as he was on election duty when the letters of intent were issued to the new autorickshaw owners.

Recently, the officers in the line of fire of the AAP government were special secretary (prosecution) Yashpal Garg and special secretary (prisons) Subhash Chandra for not implementing the orders of the council of ministers in connection with the pay revision issue.

The two bureaucrats had refused to issue such orders on the ground that the lieutenant-governor had not given his prior approval to do so.

Angry over the response of the two bureaucrats, city home minister Satyendar Jain issued a signed order related to their suspension. The two officers were also directed not to leave the headquarters without obtaining prior approval of the principal secretary (home).