PANEL PUSHES FOR HARYANA IG KALSON’S PREMATURE RETIREMENT
The recommendation for prematurely retiring Kalson from service is awaiting the nod of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar
CHANDIGARH: Controversial Haryana IPS officer Hemant Kalson, who was booked by the Panchkula police last week for allegedly misbehaving with and abusing a staff nurse at general hospital, is likely to be prematurely retired from the service. The officer, who was allegedly drunk, had created a ruckus at the hospital.
A review committee, headed by chief secretary, Sanjeev Kaushal and comprising additional chief secretary, home Rajeev Arora, Haryana director general of police (DGP) PK Agrawal and Chandigarh DGP Praveer Ranjan, has recommended that Kalson be retired from the service, prematurely. The recommendation fis awaiting nod of Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
CHANDIGARH: Controversial Haryana IPS officer Hemant Kalson, who was booked by the Panchkula police last week for allegedly misbehaving with and abusing a staff nurse at general hospital, is likely to be prematurely retired from the service. The officer, who was allegedly drunk, had created a ruckus at the hospital.
A review committee, headed by chief secretary, Sanjeev Kaushal and comprising additional chief secretary, home Rajeev Arora, Haryana director general of police (DGP) PK Agrawal and Chandigarh DGP Praveer Ranjan, has recommended that Kalson be retired from the service, prematurely. The recommendation for prematurely retiring him from the service is awaiting the nod of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
The 2001-batch IPS officer, who was promoted to IPS from the state police services, is not new to controversies and is a serial offender. He has been placed under suspension a couple of times in his career and often found to be on the wrong side of the law.
Kalson was arrested on August 22, 2019 in Panchkula and subsequently placed under suspension after being booked for allegedly trying to outrage the modesty of a woman, misconduct in public in a state of intoxication, house trespass and voluntarily causing hurt in two separate cases.
The Ig-rank officer had allegedly assaulted two women and a man after trespassing into their houses in Pinjore.
The officer was stripped of his duties as poll observer in Tamil Nadu in 2019 after he had fired aerial shots from the firearm of a security guard posted at the circuit house where he was staying. Subsequently, he was placed under suspension. His suspension was revoked a few months ago.
Kalson’s premature retirement has been recommended as per the provisions of Rule 16(3) of the All-india Services (Death-cum-retirement Benefits) Rules.
The rule says the central government, in consultation with the state government, can retire an All-india service officer in public interest after giving such member at least threemonth notice in writing or three-month pay and allowances in lieu of such notice. This is done after conducting a review of the entire service record of the officer regarding suitability for continuation in service, officials said.
As per a department of personnel and training (DOPT) communication prescribing guidelines for intensive review of records, Rule 16 (3) is commonly referred to as the rule of premature retirement and is based on sound policy and in order to sub serve public interest. Explaining the objects of the rule, a Supreme Court judgement in Union of India v/s ME Reddy had held that the object of this rule is to weed out the deadwood in order to maintain a high standard of efficiency and initiative in state services.
It is not necessary that a good officer may continue to be efficient for all times to come. It may be that there may be some officers who may possess a better initiative and higher standard of efficiency and if given chance the work of the government might show marked improvement In such a case compulsory retirement of an officer who fulfils the conditions of Rule 16(3) is undoubtedly in public interest and is not passed by way of punishment.