The suspended Punjab IPS officer, Ravjot Kaur Grewal (IPS:2015:PB), continues to await reinstatement. She had been suspended from the post of Tarn Taran SSP by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Nov 8, ahead of the Tarn Taran Assembly by-election on Nov 11. Around a month has elapsed since then, but Grewal is yet to be reinstated.
The state government is in a fix, as the rules prohibit it from bringing her back even though the Model Code of Conduct is not in force. The Bhagwant Mann government is playing safe behind the rules that say only the Election Commission, in “concurrence” with the Department of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (DoPT), Government of India, can reinstate her.
Interestingly, what the state govt forgets is that it will have to initiate correspondence with the EC, but the fact is it does not want to be seen helping an officer suspended by the ECI.
The action against Kaur had been taken after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lodged a complaint alleging that Grewal was misusing the police to file “false” FIRs against his party’s leaders and workers to scuttle their campaign for the bypoll.
Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer said ECI had suspended Grewal after taking cognisance of the serious lapses in impartial conduct during the period when the moral code of conduct was in force owing to the announcement of bypoll in Tarn Taran.
If a source is to be believed, the Punjab Government has asked a senior home department officer to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the reinstatement of Grewal. But nothing seems to be happening as of now, and Grewal’s fate hangs in the balance.
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