The Uttarakhand high court has directed the Union and the state governments to file counter affidavits within three weeks in a public interest litigation, alleging that transfers and postings of All India Services officers in the state have been carried out in violation of Supreme Court directions and cadre rules for over 12 years.
The court had directed the Union government, states and Union Territories to establish Civil Services Boards to advise on transfers and postings and provide tenure stability to civil servants. The home department subsequently routed postings through the Police Establishment Board, it alleges. The petition says a Civil Services Board was proposed in August 2018 for IPS officers. It added the proposal was deferred citing a 2014 Supreme Court order in the Prakash Singh contempt proceedings.
The petition alleges that the government has reduced the filing and scrutiny of property returns by Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers to a “clerical formality” by not adequately exercising its powers under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, to seek details of their movable and immovable assets. Gaurav Kumar Bansal, Pandey’s counsel, said the petition is based on the Supreme Court’s October 31, 2013 judgment in “TSR Subramanian and others vs Union of India and others”.
