FRESH STAND CONTRADICTS 2016 DECISION, SAYS HC

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court said fresh stand taken by the Haryana government flies in the face of the 2016 decision in the case of show-cause notices given to 19 Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers in November.

The high court bench of justice Arun Monga, while seeking response from the state by January 27, said till next date of hearing it is expected that the government will maintain status quo. The court was hearing a plea from some officers, Inder Jeet and others, who had approached court challenging the showcause notice. The issue is about show-cause notice on termination of services to 19 officers given on November 27. They were recruited pursuant to a 2004 advertisement during Om Prakash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal government. As many as 102 were selected but after allegations of adopting unfair means to select candidates, only these were declared non tainted and appointed in 2016. Recently, the state government told the high court that the entire selection process was vitiated. Hence, these 19 officers too were given show-cause notices of dismissal. The state had submitted its response to a plea from those who were not given appointments.

The court said in 2016, chief secretary had passed an order on appointment of non-tainted ones following which an appeal on the issue was disposed of. Against that high court order, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court, which was dismissed and now the high court judgment has since attained finality.

The government accepted recommendations of a committee comprising senior officers of the state vigilance bureau, vide which the officers, who were completely exonerated of the allegations of adopting any unfair means in their selection process and they were appointed in May 2016, the court said. It said notices now come as bolt from the blue. The entire selection process that had withstood judicial review from the HC and followed by the Supreme Court, has now been exhumed again.