The Jharkhand high court on Monday stayed salary payment to food and civil supply secretary and deputy secretary for their alleged failure in floating an advertisement to fill vacancies in district consumer forums and the state consumer dispute redressal commission (SCDRC).
A division bench of justice DN Patel and justice Ratnakar Bhengra pulled up the department for delaying the appointment process since 2014. It said that the two officers would not draw their salaries till recruitments to various vacant posts were completed. The bench restrained the officers from signing their salary bills.
The court’s order came on a PIL filed by one Sunil Oraon seeking judicial order to the government to fill various posts lying vacant in district consumer forums and the SCDRC and set up the necessary infrastructure in these quasi-judicial institutions.
The bench observed that the department has crossed all limits of remissness and thoroughly ignored the court’s earlier orders. “It can’t be tolerated,” the bench said reminding the officers not to take its orders lightly.
The department’s deputy secretary, who appeared before the court on Monday, informed that draft for the recruitment on the posts of assistant, accountant, secretary, typist and peons, has been prepared.
{{/usCountry}}The department’s deputy secretary, who appeared before the court on Monday, informed that draft for the recruitment on the posts of assistant, accountant, secretary, typist and peons, has been prepared.
{{/usCountry}}“However, it is awaiting clearance from the department’s secretary who is currently busy with the preparations for “Momentum Jharkhand-Global Investors’ Meet”, the deputy secretary informed the court seeking time to complete the appointment process.
Showing its dissatisfaction, the bench observed, “These are alibis. No one is so busy that he/ she can’t find time to inspect the file for a while and put his/her signature. The secretary had himself furnished an undertaking to fill up the vacancies but nothing has been done so far”.