In a major embarrassment to state bureaucracy, the Accountant General (AG), Jharkhand, has refused to issue a salary slip to the state’s Director Feneral of Police (DGP) Gauri Shankar Rath, citing issuance of an incorrect notification for Rath's promotion.
The AG’s action has led to denial of salary to the state’s top police officer.
The 1977 batch IPS officer and Additional DG (Headquarters) Rath was promoted to the rank of DGP on February 26 this year. He took charge soon after the retirement of his predecessor Neyaz Ahamd.
A day after taking charge as the state police head, Rath on Tuesday sent a letter to the Accountant General’s office, along with the notification of his promotion to the DG rank, with a request for issuance of pay slip for the DG rank.
But the AG office outrightly declined to issue the DG rank’s salary slip to Rath, stating that the notification regarding his promotion was “incorrect.” In a letter sent to the state government on Tuesday evening, the AG office has pointed out a glaring inaccuracy in Rath’s promotion notification, and said that it was unable to issue salary slip to the DGP, unless the state government rectifies the notification and issues a fresh order.
HT has a copy of the AG’s highly confidential letter. The AG, in its letter, has pointed out that as per the government of India’s notification, the pay scale of DGP (head of police force) of Jharkhand is Rs 80,000 (fixed). But Rath has been promoted as the DGP in the pay scale of Rs. 75,500 to Rs 80,000. “Since Rath has been promoted in the DG rank and posted as head of the state police, his pay should be Rs 80,000 (fixed),” the AG said.
{{/usCountry}}HT has a copy of the AG’s highly confidential letter. The AG, in its letter, has pointed out that as per the government of India’s notification, the pay scale of DGP (head of police force) of Jharkhand is Rs 80,000 (fixed). But Rath has been promoted as the DGP in the pay scale of Rs. 75,500 to Rs 80,000. “Since Rath has been promoted in the DG rank and posted as head of the state police, his pay should be Rs 80,000 (fixed),” the AG said.
{{/usCountry}}Sources in the state government said, the AG office has also not sent a necessary ‘authorization slip’ to the concerned treasury for release of salary to Rath. The officers of All India service cadre, e.g. IAS, IPS and IFS working in Jharkhand, get their salary from the state government’s treasury only after the AG office issues an authorization slip.
As things stand today, Rath would not be able to withdraw the salary of even Additional DG rank, his just previous post, because the AG office has stopped issuing authorization slip for his last pay-scale (of Additional DG) after his (Rath's) promotion in the DG rank on February 26.
The State’s Principal Accountant General (PAG) R K Verma, who is also holding the charge of AG, could not be contacted for his comment, despite repeated attempts over his phone. A home department official confirmed receiving the AG’s letter, but declined to make any comment over the controversy.