IAS officers in UP want the right to say ‘no’ to politicians

Retired IAS officers in Uttar Pradesh now want protection from the fury of their political bosses.

The recent conviction of retired IAS officer Harish Chandra Gupta in the coal scam and the spate of inquiries in projects initiated by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav have spurred the officers into action. The retired officers, who now have their own association called UP Retired IAS Officers’ Association, recently took out a candle march in support of their colleague H.C. Gupta, who, they say, is an honest officer from the state cadre.

G.B. Patnaik, who is spearheading the movement, said, “We are all deeply anguished at the manner in which an honest officer has been made to pay the price of decisions taken by his political bosses. If someone who has been known for being upright and honest can be convicted, what about the rest of the officers?”Retired officers feel that there is an urgent need to protect the officials in cases where they are innocent. Retired IAS officer Surya Pratap Singh said, “There is now a need for political ministers, especially ministers, to be also bound to a code of conduct which will make them responsible and accountable for decisions they take. As for the officers, the cadre will have to be honest on paper too. They will have to take a stand when their political bosses issue orders that are not in conformity with rules.” The retired officers feel that unless the bureaucrats get some sort of protection against “political fury”, most of them would prefer to bend rather than break. Another retired IAS officer, who is presently on a post-retirement assignment in the state, said that there is a growing tendency among politicians to issue verbal orders. He cited the case of former chief secretary D.S. Bagga whose post retirement benefits were withheld because he happened to be at the helm of affairs when the Taj Corridor scam took place. “The CBI could not find a case against Bagga, but who is going to pay for the humiliation and difficulty that he and his family faced at that time? Will the CBI or the government compensate for what he suffered?” the officer asked. Another retired IAS officer, who has served under Mayawati in the BSP regime, recalled how a senior IPS officer was suspended in 1995 and then again in 1997 simply because he was heading the city police force when the infamous state guest house incident took place and Mayawati blamed him for what happened.“The officer finally went on deputation and never returned to UP. He was penalised for no fault of his, but no action has been taken against politicians involved in that incident,” the officer said.

The retired officers also feel that it was Mayawati who started the trend of suspending IAS officers without serving even a show cause notice. She suspended a total of over 70 officers in her four terms as Chief Minister.

“She demolished the dignity of the cadre and was known to announce suspensions at public meetings. This instilled a fear in the officers who then became almost servile. Those who dared to stand up were dumped in inconsequential postings,” said a former bureaucrat. The Retired IAS Officers’ Association has not only passed a resolution urging the government to protect upright officers, but has also decided to set up a legal cell and offer legal assistance to officers like H.C. Gupta.

Interestingly, the UP IAS Association, which shot into the limelight in 1996, when it voted three most corrupt officers in the cadre, has chosen to turn a blind eye to the victimisation of the bureaucrats.

“We have become a stooge of the government and I have no hesitation in admitting it. The IAS week is a fun-filled event, but no issues are taken up or discussed. Our seniors pamper the political leaders for key positions and the association is used for it,” said a secretary rank woman IAS officer.