Unreasonable expectation brings no fruition. The plight of four IAS officers, posted in Telangana and ordered to be repatriated to Andhra Pradesh by the Centre, bears testimony to it. Despite their dogged pursuit to scuttle the central government’s move to repatriate them to their home cadre, Andhra Pradesh, these officers returned empty-handed from the Telangana High Court which refused to show mercy by interfering with the orders of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). On the contrary, the court directed them to immediately join their home cadre as directed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The court asked the four IAS officers – Ronald Rose, Amrapali Kata, Vakati Karuna and A Vani Prasad – to join duties in Andhra Pradesh without delay as per the direction of the CAT on inter-cadre deputation. These officers had moved the Telangana High Court after the CAT refused to stay their repatriation to Andhra Pradesh.
The ball had been set rolling by the DoPT’s order issued on October 10 relieving these officers from their current postings and join duties in Andhra Pradesh on October 16. Following it, these officers rushed to the CAT to stay it but to no avail. Then came the turn of the Telangana High Court to take a call in their hot chase of relief from repatriation. But, fate failed them again.
All arguments related to the rationale behind their repatriation decision as well as the bifurcation of cadre and their long administrative experience in Telangana fell flat on the ears of the judicial authorities deciding the case on merit.
