HC stays termination of manager recruited during Khemka’s tenure
CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday stayed an order passed by managing director, Haryana State Warehousing Corporation (HSWC) Sanjeev Verma, terminating services of a manager recruited during the tenure of IAS officer Ashok Khemka.
The high court bench of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal acted on the plea from Pradeep Kumar Gupta, terminated on April 20.
In the plea, he had argued that his termination order was the result of a tussle between the two senior IAS officers, current MD Verma and Khemka, who held the position in 2010, at the time of his appointment.
The spat between the two IAS officers has come out in the open with police registering criminal cases against both the officers. On Verma’s complaint, Khemka has been booked for allegations under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and for cheating. Khemka also got an FIR registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on allegations of public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury, threatening any person to give false evidence, using as true a certificate known to be false and criminal conspiracy. Gupta’s counsel Amar Vivek had told the court that Gupta was appointed in the ex-serviceman category as manager Grade-i in the corporation in 2010 after proper selection by the committee consisting of five officers including three IAS officers. The current MD joined on April 8 and started inquiry in the selections made by Khemka in 2010. As a fall out, the petitioner was terminated on grounds that he did not have seven years experience in agriculture produce handling, he had told court, adding that he worked with the Indian Air Force and being an ex-serviceman, was erroneously equated with general / normal candidates in direct recruitment.
It was further alleged that the current MD made it more or less his “personal agenda” to prove his point to conduct a “roving and fishing inquiry” and to dig holes in the decisions taken more than 12-years-ago at the personal expense of gullible employees like him. It was further claimed that the current MD did not even care for rules and regulations and termination order was passed in violation of principles of natural justice and without holding a departmental inquiry. The court, while seeking response by August 1, directed that the April 20 order passed by Verma will remain stayed till next date of hearing.