Nanda’s appointment as Punjab AG ratified

BEANT SINGH’S GRANDSON GETS DSP’S POST; ‘NOFLYING’ DIKTAT FOR VIPS, AVIATION ADVISER GETS FIVEYEAR EXTENSION

CHANDIGARH: With a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of Atul Nanda as Punjab advocate general by the Captain Amarinder Singh government reaching the Punjab and Haryana high court, the cabinet on Tuesday ratified and granted ex post facto approval to his appointment. Nanda was appointed on March 16 — the day Amarinder took over as the Punjab chief minister.

The petitioner, advocate GKS Tank, had informed the court that the appointment was done without any formal resolution tendering advice by the council of ministers since no cabinet meeting took place that day and no such resolution was passed by cabinet on Nanda’s appointment.

Tank had argued that advice of CM alone is not the requirement as done in this case and appointments on constitutional posts like the AG and members of public service commission, appointments can be made on the advice of council of ministers only.

The cabinet also approved the appointment of former CM Beant Singh’s grandson Guriqbal Singh as deputy superintendent of police (DSP) against the direct quota post.

A government spokesman said the service rules have been relaxed to enable the appointment as a special case.

The appointment, the cabinet observed, was in recognition of the supreme sacrifice made by the former CM to end terrorism and maintain peace and harmony in the state.

Though the party poll manifesto and later the first cabinet meeting had endorsed a no-flying policy for VIPs, including ministers, the cabinet also granted extension to civil aviation adviser, Captain Abhay Chandra, for a period of five years from May 10, 2017, to May 9, 2022, to carry out “VIPflying operations” besides handling other important issues of the department of civil aviation. It also approved a year’s extension to contract of pharmacists working as service providers and class-4 employees in 1,186 subsidiary health centres of zila parishads in rural development and panchayats department.

The extension will be for one year, from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018, or till regular recruitment (whichever is earlier) at the existing rates of ₹7,000 and ₹3,000 per month, respectively.