The Haryana bureaucracy is in a fix and waits for the new BJP government to be sworn in so that the ensuing tussle over the seniority of six IAS officers from the 1990 batch is decided by the Chief Minister. The issue needs to be sorted out immediately as the new Chief Secretary (CS) is to be named by this month end as the current CS TVSN Prasad (IAS:1988:HY) is retiring on October 31. Any change in the seniority list could impact the selection of the next Chief Secretary, as this position is likely to be filled by an officer from the 1990 batch.
To further complicate the matter, the post of Financial Commissioner Revenue (FCR) in the state is also lying vacant. This post is usually occupied by the senior-most IAS officer of the state after the CS.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had earlier written to the state government to decide the case of inter-se seniority among the 1990-batch IAS officers, considering Rule 5 and 6 of the IAS (Regulation of Seniority) Rules, 1987.
The Haryana CS wrote back to the DoPT asking for some information and a copy of the judgment, concerning the allotment of the Haryana cadre and seniority of IAS Sudhir Rajpal, passed by the CAT’s Chandigarh bench. Additionally, the state government sought clarification on whether IAS officer Sumita Misra was initially allocated to another cadre before being placed in the Haryana cadre. If so, the relevant documents were requested for review.
The CS had brought this issue to the notice of caretaker Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini on October 4, a day before the state went to the polls, so nothing could be done. Now, as the election results are out and Saini is all set to begin his second inning as CM, the issue is likely to be settled soon after the swearing in takes place.
The dispute arose after three IAS officers from the 1990 batch — Ankur Gupta, Anurag Rastogi and Raja Sekhar Vundru — challenged the current gradation list.
Also Read: Haryana: Three IAS officers seek seniority review amid Chief Secretary’s retirement
