Plea against order quashing suspension of STC chief

The Centre has moved the Delhi high court against its single judge order quashing suspension of the State Trading Corporation’s chairman and managing director ( CMD) against whom the CBI has lodged a case of cheating for allegedly causing a loss of 2,112 crore to the government- run entity.

A vacation bench of Justice Vinod Goel and Justice Rekha Palli, before whom the petition was listed, said it would be heard by the appropriate bench on July 4.

The plea, filed through Centre’s standing counsel Arun Bhardwaj, has contended that the single judge had erred in quashing the November 2016 suspension order against the corporation’s CMD.

The single judge on May 18 had said in his order that the prolonged suspension of the official without deciding his representation for review of the action taken against him was “wholly unjustified”.

The single judge had said the Supreme Court ( SC) has mandated that a suspension order should not extend beyond the period of three months and during this period, the charge sheet should be served upon the delinquent officer.

“Undisputedly, no charge sheet has been served upon the petitioner and in view of the suspension of the petitioner, I find that there is no justification to further prolong his suspension for an indefinite period, as till date, charge- sheet has not been served upon him,” the single judge had said.