Dilip Cherian | SC plans to revisit ruling on remit of HC in WB ex-chief secy case

The Supreme Court has decided to revisit its last year’s verdict in former West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay's case. At the time, the apex court had ruled that only the Delhi high court and no other high court would have jurisdiction to entertain a plea against a decision taken by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). This may have implications beyond this particular case.

In January last year, the Supreme Court had allowed the plea of the Centre and set aside the order of the Calcutta high court to transfer the hearing on Mr Bandyopadhyay's plea against the Centre’s disciplinary proceedings from the Kolkata bench of CAT to its principal bench in Delhi.

A similar situation had also cropped up in the legal wrangle between the Centre and Magsaysay award winner and IFoS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, with the Uttarakhand high court quashing the principal CAT bench’s order to transfer the case from the Allahabad bench to itself and the Centre questioning the jurisdiction of the HC in view of the apex court last year order.

In this context, the bench has agreed to re-examine last year’s verdict as it would create hardships for employees who had to travel to Delhi from far-flung areas to challenge the order. All 25 high courts have equivalent jurisdiction, and no special treatment is envisaged.

PESB fills a long pending vacancy

As some babu watchers had observed some time ago, the Centre has named Sail chairperson Soma Mondal as a member of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). The public sector spot on the board had been vacant for over 11 months, after retired Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital, former CMD of Goa Shipyard Ltd, resigned. Ms Mondal was slated to retire from Sail next month and will now serve at PSEB for three years. She is also the chairperson of the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE).

The resolution pertaining to the composition of the selection board clearly indicates that one member post is earmarked for a top executive with wider experience in the public sector. Sources have informed DKB that it was no coincidence that the vacancy had been put on hold for over 11 months ahead of the Sail chairperson's retirement in April 2023. It was presumed that Ms Mondal would emerge as the clear choice for the position. Can we call it advance planning?

With Ms Mondal’s appointment, the board has now all members on it. It is headed by chairperson Mallika Srinivasan, and two other members, retired IAS officers Amarjeet Sinha and Sailesh.

Babu ‘catfight’ could become a blockbuster film

There is no dearth of blockbuster entertainment in Karnataka these days, and it’s got nothing to do with the impending Assembly elections in the state. A very public spat between two senior women officers of the state administration, IPS officer D. Roopa and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, has generated sufficient excitement to even get two film directors interested in putting the ‘story’ up on the silver screen.

Though the government immediately transferred the two senior officers as soon as the fracas came to light, the fight intensified. A departmental inquiry is also probing the two officers, who complained against each other to the chief secretary, Vandita Sharma, who summoned them and sought an explanation. Ms Sindhuri accused Ms Roopa of personal vendetta and requested action against the IPS officer. Ms Roopa sought an inquiry into the complaints against Ms Sindhuri.

Now a Bengaluru court has granted Ms Sindhuri relief from the publication of “false and defamatory” allegations by IPS officer D. Roopa and over 60 media outlets. Ms Roopa claimed that Rohini Sindhuri had uploaded compromising photos of her on her social network and forwarded them to senior IAS officials, breaking service conduct guidelines. Ms Roopa has charged Ms Sindhuri with 19 offences, including charges of corruption.

As of now the spat between IPS officer Ms Roopa and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri continues, so there is a chance that the script may change a lot by the time the films get made.