Former DEO challenges appointment of Harbir Singh, HC puts UT on notice

Petitioner says, being the senior most in the department, she should have been reappointed on the post.

The Punjab and Haryana has put the Chandigarh administration on notice on a plea challenging the appointment of Harbir Singh as the district education officer (DEO).

Singh will be replacing Alka Mehta, the incumbent, whose appointment is already under challenge before the high court by former DEO Anujit Kaur.

The high court bench of justice Daya Chaudhary and justice Meenakshi I Mehta has sought UT’s response by August 17.

After the appointment of Mehta as DEO in November 2019 replacing Kaur, the latter had challenged the education department’s orders in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). CAT stayed Mehta’s appointment, which resulted in the matter reaching the high court.

The court on January 6 stayed the CAT order and allowed Mehta to continue on the post. However, even as the dispute between the two was still pending in court, Anand was appointed as DEO by the UT administration earlier this month.

Now, Kaur in her plea says instead of resolving the matter, the education department has passed a fresh order, which will further complicate the matter.

She has argued that Singh has been posted as DEO, though he is at serial number 15 of the gradation list as per departmental seniority list.

Kaur feels, being the senior most in the department, she should have been allowed to continue on the post. She wants the department to conduct a regular Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) and award regular promotion to the post of DEO. She is set to retire in September 2020.