Haryana govt to repatriate 16 HCS officers

Sixteen Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers who gained entry into the HCS cadre by way of promotions during the tenure of the previous INLD regime could soon be on their way back to their parent departments. The state government has decided to repatriate these officials on grounds of their being surplus to the existing HCS cadre.

A decision in this regard has been taken at the very highest level and it would be anytime now that notices for reverting them back to their parent departments will be served to these 16 officers.

Confirming the development, Chief Secretary, Prem Prashant said since the cadre strength of Haryana Civil Services (HCS) was reduced to 230 from 300 in 2005, these officials who were promoted from the A-I, A-II and C registers were found surplus to the cadre. "The government had also not appointed 58 candidates from the direct recruitment category (B register) citing the reduction in cadre strength. Since the promotee officers were also appointed on the strength of 300 person cadre it would be against the principle of natural justice if they were allowed to continue after the reduction in cadre," the Chief Secretary said.

Those who will be served with the notices of repatriation are : Anurag Dhalia who is the son of BD Dhalia, the former Principal Secretary to Om Prakash Chautala, Balraj Jakhar, Manjeet Singh, Subhash Chander Gaba, Mange Ram Dhull, Sant Lal Pachar, Hoshiar Singh Siwatch, Subhash Chander Sihag, Satish Kumar Jain, Yogesh Kumar Mehta, Baljeet Singh, Virender Singh-II, Devi Lal Sihag, Suresh Kumar Chahal, Prithvi Singh and Naveen Ahuja.

These officers were appointed by way of promotion from the posts specified in the A–I register (DROs, Tehsildars etc), A-II ( Class III) and C (BDOs etc) in 2004 on the basis of the HCS cadre strength of 300 during the reign of the Chautala regime as per the roster prescribed in the Rule 17 of the Punjab Civil Services Rules.

On coming to power in 2005, the Congress government decided not to issue appointment letters to 58 candidates who had qualified for the HCS (Executive Branch) under the direct recruitment category after clearing the tests and interviews conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) in 2004.

Subsequently, the government reduced the HCS cadre strength to 230 from 300. When the candidates approached the Punjab and High Court challenging their non-appointment, the government took the plea of non–availability of posts following a reduction in the cadre.

Simultaneously, the government also gave an undertaking to the court that officers who had entered HCS by way of promotion would too be reverted back. "The vacancies against which their appointments were made by way of promotion does not exist," said an official.

However, while the matter was being deliberated by the state government, a difference of opinion arose between the legal experts. While one view was that these officers could be accommodated against the HCS vacancies arising in the due course of time. However senior officials said that this was unacceptable as many others would also have become eligible for induction into the HCS from the A-I, A-II and C registers. "Still, these officials will also be considered for promotion alongwith others whenever the vacancies arises," said a top official.