E-Paper
HC stays fine imposed on HSVP chief administrator by Haryana Right to Service panel
Punjab and Haryana HC stayed the penalty and compensation imposed on Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) chief administrator Ajit Balaji Joshi by Haryana Right to Service Commission
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday stayed the penalty and compensation imposed on Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) chief administrator Ajit Balaji Joshi by the Haryana Right to Service Commission (HRTSC).
The high court bench of justice Raj Mohan Singh acted on the plea of Joshi and has sought a response from the government by August 10.
“Specifically, till the next date of hearing, the amount of penalty and compensation shall remain stayed,” the bench ordered.
Joshi had moved the court seeking directions to quash the suo motu notice of May 23 and consequent final order of June 23, whereby the chief commissioner, HRTSC, allowed an e-mail complaint of March 28.
He was penalised with a ₹20,000 fine for causing a ‘significant’ delay in delivering the service for which the notified time limit was five days, thereby causing harassment and hardship to a woman, who had also sought euthanasia, a practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering. The commission had also granted ₹5,000 as compensation to the complainant
It had further observed that the officer not only disregarded the provisions of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014, but also flouted the provisions made in the HSVP Act, 1977, and delayed the delivery of notified service by an inexcusable duration.
He claims the order was passed without jurisdiction, being out of the purview of the commission. He also claimed that the order was based on “assumptions and presumptions” against him, “right from the beginning for the reasons best known to the commission.” The complainant did not avail remedies as mandated in the law, he claims, adding that the observations against him are “baseless having no authenticity” as there is no personal knowledge of facts or motive against the complainant with the chief administrator, HSVP, the post he was holding.
