Former Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officer Kiran Rosy, who was prematurely retired on August 19 because of her chequered service record, approached the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday, challenging the state government's decision.
Taking up her petition, justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa, while issuing a notice of motion to the Punjab government for October 4, also summoned the record of the case. However, the court refused to stay the premature retirement order as yet.
The allegations against former 1990-batch PCS officer Rosy include amassing wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income. Rosy, who was posted as deputy secretary in the pension and grievances department before retirement, was to superannuate in November 2016.
In July this year, the high court had quashed her petition challenging the state government's decision to retire her compulsorily whereas no such decision was passed by the state till then.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Girish Agnihotri, argued that recommendations of the screening committee headed by the chief secretary about premature retirement were not binding on the chief minister and the Punjab government's instructions in dealing with such cases were not properly followed. It was submitted that even the government did not have powers under the rules to constitute such committee.
The screening committee, in its findings, had mentioned three officers' chequered service record not befitting their further continuation in service. The state government had also ordered the premature retirement of 1991-batch PCS officers Tirlok Nath Passey and Jai Pal Singh. Passey was facing allegations of registering vehicles outside the purview of his jurisdiction and issuing fake driving licences when he was posted as the subdivisional magistrate (SDM) in Khadoor Sahib. Jai Pal Singh was alleged to have been responsible for accepting bribe. Passey and Singh have not yet approached the high court.
Not-so-Rosy past
The screening committee, in its findings, had mentioned three officers' chequered service record not befitting their further continuation in service. The state government had also ordered the premature retirement of 1991-batch PCS officers Tirlok Nath Passey and Jai Pal Singh. Passey was facing allegations of registering vehicles outside the purview of his jurisdiction and issuing fake driving licences when he was posted as the subdivisional magistrate (SDM) in Khadoor Sahib. Jai Pal Singh was alleged to have been responsible for accepting bribe. Passey and Singh have not yet approached the high court.
Not-so-Rosy past
In June 2004, the Punjab vigilance bureau had booked Rosy, when she was secretary, Punjab subordinate services selection board, on corruption charges. The FIR was registered at the vigilance bureau police station in SAS Nagar on the allegations that Rosy had earned an income of Rs 42 lakh between November 1990 and October 2000 but had made investment of around Rs 1.95 crore in properties, including benami properties. She was also accused of accepting a bribe of Rs 26,000 for registering a sale deed of a shop in Sabzi Mandi, Jalandhar, when she was deputy director, Punjab new mandi township.