E-Paper
2001 HCS selections: Former minister requests chief justice to constitute special bench
Eight HCS officers of 2002 batch who are facing trial in a corruption case were on July 14 included provisionally in the select list for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by way of promotion by a selection committee headed by a Union Public Service Commission member.
Former Haryana minister Karan Singh Dalal on Thursday wrote to the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court requesting constitution of a special division bench to adjudicate an over two-decade old petition seeking setting aside of selection of 2002 batch Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers. The selections were challenged on grounds of alleged illegalities and irregularities in the recruitment process.
Eight HCS officers of 2002 batch who are facing trial in a corruption case were on July 14 included provisionally in the select list for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by way of promotion by a selection committee headed by a Union Public Service Commission member. This, as per the central rules, meant that they cannot be promoted to the IAS unless exonerated by the court.
In a communication to the Chief Justice, the Congress leader who is also the petitioner in the case said that the civil writ petition (CWP) number 15390 of 2002 is pending adjudication and is fixed for final arguments whereas the Supreme Court vide order dated March 31, 2011 (passed in Civil Appeal number 2845 of 2011) had directed the high court (HC) to decide the matter expeditiously after going through all the pleadings and records of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC).
Dalal said that the Haryana vigilance bureau after conducting the thorough investigation in the FIR number 20 of 2005 found the selection of HCS of 2002 batch as tainted and charge-sheeted them. “They have been summoned by the trial court at Hisar,” Dalal said.
The former minister said that petitions have been filed by the “tainted” candidates for quashing of FIR number 20 of 2005 and these connected matters are being listed before different benches.
“The tainted officers who are respondents in the writ petition filed by me and accused in the FIR have been taking advantage of the pendency of writ petition as well as obtaining different orders from different benches by suppressing material facts. It is therefore, just and necessary that a special bench be constituted for adjudicating upon CWP number 15390 of 2002 and the matters relating to the FIR number 20 of 2005 registered by vigilance bureau,” Dalal said.
