Two senior Uttarakhand IPS officers – Neeru Garg (IPS:2005:UK) and Arun Mohan Joshi (IPS:2006:UK) – have now challenged their central deputation in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) after being advised to do so by the High Court. Both these officers have been contesting their deputation to the central forces to a lower-rank and without their consent.
Both the officers are currently serving as IGs in Uttarakhand, but have been directed to take up postings in central paramilitary forces as DIGs. While Neeru Garg has been deputed as DIG in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Arun Mohan Joshi is supposed to join as DIG in the Border Security Force (BSF) on deputation.
Both these IPS officers have argued that they neither requested for central deputation nor consented to it, yet the state govt forwarded their names to the Centre for deputation.
Besides, both officers had previously received exemptions from central postings. The officers claim the action violates established norms of service, including rights under the Administrative Tribunals Act, which governs grievances of central and state service officers.
They first moved the High Court, which directed them the CAT, saying the tribunal is the proper forum for service-related disputes of this nature.
The ruling by the CAT will be watched closely as it will have implications on future deputation policies adopted by the Centre as well as the state govt.
Also, this case could set a precedent for other bureaucrats resisting central deputation that affects their ranks resulting in career progression.
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