NEW DELHI: Making it clear that it will not back down on disciplinary measures related to an attack on the BJP boss JP Naddaparade in Kolkata, the Home Office wrote Thursday to the West Bengal Chief Secretary reaffirming their decision to summon three IPS officers to the central delegation, at the same time that their new posts versus existing vacancies in police organizations.
The move saw Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee express her disgust on social media against the “deliberate attempt by the Center to invade the jurisdiction of the state and demoralize serving officers in West Bengal.”
In the copied letter to the DGP, the Interior Ministry said it examined the response from the state government refusing to pardon the three officers: Rajeev Mishra (ADG, South Bengal), Bhola Nath Pandey (SP, Diamond harbor) and Praveen Kumar Tripathi (DIG, rank of presidency), despite the decision of the Center to summon them as deputation.
Citing Rule 6 (1) of the IPS cadre rules, which relate to the delegation of cadre officers and which clearly state that the Center’s decision will prevail in the event of disagreement, the Interior Ministry said that the three officers, whose appointment had already approved existing vacancies, will be released immediately so they can join their new positions.
The three officers, who were dealing directly with Nadda’s security, were also sent separate letters asking them to join their central posts as soon as possible. While Mishra has been appointed IG in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for five years, Tripathi has been appointed DIG, Sashastra Seema bal, also for five years. Pandey has been designated as SP, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) for four years.
Banerjee warned that West Bengal “would not allow this blatant attempt by the Center to control the state machinery by proxy … West Bengal will not cower in the face of expansionist and anti-democratic forces.” While the state can delay matters, the rules make it difficult to prevent orders from being carried out.
Interior Ministry sources said that IPS cadre Rule 6 (1) clearly establishes the Center’s precedence in matters related to the central delegation of All India Services officials belonging to various state cadres. “The state may play difficult, but ultimately it will have no choice but to separate itself from the IPS agents, especially since their appointment in the central police organizations has already been approved,” said one agent.
It remains to be seen whether the matter will end up in court, as in a previous case of delegation of Tamil nadu IPS official cadre (now retired) Archana Ramasundaram at CBI. The Tamil Nadu government had suspended and charged Ramasundaram for relieving himself for the CBI delegation despite the lack of agreement from the state. Later, the Delhi High Court held that the suspension and indictment against Ramasundaram, who retired as CEO of Sashastra Seema Bal, were motivated by “legal malice”.
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