Himachal High Court pushes govt to act against officers of doubtful integrity

Shimla: Push by the courts to act against officers with doubtful integrity, the Himachal Pradesh government on Monday informed the High Court that the process of shifting 43 officers doubtful integrity from sensitive to non-sensitive posts was going on.

Additional advocate general MA Khan, on behalf of the officiating chief secretary, placed an affidavit before the bench of Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary that the government needs time to carry out the postings of officers of doubtful integrity from sensitive to non-sensitive posts.

The affidavit was filed in response to the court having expressed displeasure on 14^th November, in a 2010 civil writ petition pointing out that officers of doubtful integrity were holding sensitive posting, despite their being suspicion about their integrity.

The judges had even made an observation over inaction of the secretaries of concerned departments in not furnishing the requisite information to the chief secretary on the limited issue as to whether the posting of tainted officer on sensitive posts had the concurrence and approval of the highest authority.

The court on Monday directed the chief secretary to file an affidavit in two weeks indicating shifting of 43 officers of doubtful integrity to non-sensitive posts within minimum period.

Officers of doubtful integrity stand defined as those (i) convicted in a court of law, (ii) those against whom a major penalty in a departmental enquiry has been handed down, (iii) against whom proceedings for a major penalty in a departmental enquiry has been started or against whom a court trial was in process for alleged act of lack of integrity or moral turpitude (iv) and those officers who had been prosecuted but acquitted on technical ground and in whose case, on the basis of evidence during the trial, there remained a reasonable suspicion about their integrity.

Ravinder Makhaik

As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.

Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.