Dilli ka babu
Govt on the mat
The State was at the receiving end recently when the judiciary intervened in two cases involving senior babus. In the first instance, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu got egg on its face when the Chennai high court set aside the appointment of Letika Saran, director general of police, made earlier this year. The court slammed the state government for ignoring the Supreme Court’s guidelines on appointment of the top cop in a state. Indian Police Service officer Ms Saran, according to observers, was apparently appointed without considering her seniors for the position. The judgment, it is felt, will likely have repercussions in other states since politicians routinely skip due process to appoint their favoured babus to plum positions.
In the other instance, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to list Prashant Mehta, a 1975 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, for promotion to the rank of additional secretary. Mr Mehta had approached the state high court after he was denied empanelment despite an order from the Central Administrative Tribunal. The high court too upheld the order but the Centre decided to take it to the highest court, but now it may well be wishing that it hadn’t.
But despite these damning judgments, observers do not expect our thick-skinned netas to start playing by the rules.
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Mamata factor
The babu stampede from the Left’s fast crumbling bastion in West Bengal continues unabated. In fact senior Indian Administrative Service officers have now been joined in flight by Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. The anxiety of the men in khaki is obviously driven by a healthy sense of self-preservation, ever since Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee began to blame senior state police officials for attacks on her party by the rival Left. Since Ms Banerjee is smelling victory in the next year’s Assembly elections in the state, the prudent among the cops are trying to look for postings outside the state to avoid coming under fire.
According to sources more than 20 IPS officers have departed the state and many others are awaiting release. Apparently, six positions of additional director generals are vacant as are several DIG-level positions. Those in the know say that following the elevation of Naparajit Mukherjee as DGP, the position of director general (IB) has no takers. Similarly, it is pointed out, there are no officers vying for the position of ADG (training) after Vageesh Mishra was made DG (training). And the mood has infected even the ranks, including SPs. With Ms Banerjee seemingly on the path to victory and the Left a pale shadow of its former self, why blame babus for seeking cover?
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