M A I N   N E W S

14 IAS, 21 PCS officers to face punitive action
Personnel Dept reconstructs proof against them
Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service

Sources in the department told The Tribune that they had now reconstructed the cases by tracing the original complaints against these officers. In some cases, the complainants, who had brought to light irregularities committed by these officers, were contacted and asked to give details. Commissioners in various parts of the state, Deputy Commissioners and the reporting and supervising officers of these 35 officers were contacted by the department and asked to furnish original complaints received against the officers, besides any other correspondence from the government regarding initiating action against these officers.

In most of the cases, the government has managed to reconstruct evidence against the officers. “We are expecting that all case files will be reconstructed within a month and the government will then initiate strict disciplinary action against the guilty officers. The Chief Secretary has already laid down a precedent of compulsory retirement of officers “who have become deadwood for the system”.

In cases where there is incriminating evidence against the guilty officers, we can go ahead and compulsorily retire the officers, while in others strict action will be sought against the officers,” said a senior officer of the Personnel Department.

Last year, 35 crucial files dealing with orders on initiating disciplinary action against the IAS and PCS officers had gone missing. The Deputy Secretary in the Personnel Department had been sitting on these files for more than a year. The files went missing after he was transferred.

The government conducted two internal inquiries and found that Deputy Secretary Yog Raj Sharma had played a role in the files going missing. The Chief Secretary, Rakesh Singh, then ordered that an FIR be registered against Sharma. The Chandigarh Police is now dealing with the criminal investigation against Sharma and the role played by the IAS and PCS officers in the vanishing missing.

Ashish Kapoor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) , Chandigarh Police, who is investigating the matter, told The Tribune that the probe was almost complete. “We have recorded statements of officials in the Personnel Department and are now seeking a reply from top state government officers on some queries, following which the investigation will be concluded,” he said.

Missing files case

• Last year, 35 files dealing with orders on initiating disciplinary action against 14 IAS and 21 PCS officers had gone missing
• The Deputy Secretary in the Personnel Department had been sitting on these files for more than a year
• The files went missing after he was transferred.
• The government held two internal inquiries
• The inquiries found that Deputy Secretary Yog Raj Sharma had played a role in the files going missing
• The Chief Secretary then ordered that an FIR be registered against Sharma