Friday, Apr 19, 2024 | Last Update : 12:57 PM IST
Delhi government ‘defends’ bureaucrats
Danics officers took CL to take part in stir 2 years ago: PIL.
New Delhi: Several bureaucrats, who allegedly went on a mass leave in 2015 to protest against the Delhi government’s decision to suspend two Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (Danics) cadre officers, had availed casual leave in their individual capacity, the Delhi high court was informed.
A bench, headed by acting chief justice Gita Mittal, was hearing a writ petition seeking action against those bureaucrats who went on mass leave to protest the suspension of the two Danics officers on December 29, 2015.
“The records don’t show that the bureaucrats resorted to any illegal action by way of availing casual leave. It is apparent that they availed casual leave in their individual capacity. It is natural that officers either take casual leave or earned leave during the year-end subject to the availability of adequate leave and this process is not unusual,” the counsel for the government said.
He also informed the bench that on December 31, 2015, the leave taken by these officers was sanctioned by the concerned competent authority and under no circumstances, the grant of leave was denied or curtailed. Taking note of the submission of the Delhi government, the court disposed of the PIL on grounds that grievance raised by the petitioner stood satisfied.
On December 31, 2015, around 200 Danics cadre officers had gone on mass leave after two senior civil service officers of the Delhi government’s home department were suspended for refusing to sign on a cabinet decision file. As many as 70 IAS officers had also gone on half-day leave that day reportedly in solidarity with the agitators.
The Union home ministry had termed the suspension by the Delhi government as null and void. The plea by one Indu Prakash Singh had stated that the Supreme Court had held that “public servants do not entertain legal right to strike” and therefore, the act was “illegal”. It had also said that the officers, by going on mass leave, had violated the central civil services conduct rules, which prohibit them from doing so.
