NEW DELHI: Vinay Srivastava, private secretary to Union Human Resources Minister Prakash Javadekar, was on Thursday repatriated to his parent cadre, triggering speculation that a recent controversy involving him had a role to play in the transfer.
According to reports in the media, an extra coach was attached to Padmavati Express between Lucknow and Delhi railway stations, on the request of Vinay to accommodate him and his family last month.
It was alleged that adding of the coach at the last minute had caused chaos at the Lucknow railway station on Saturday. Both Vinay and the Northern Railways, however, had denied the allegations.
Sources in the Railway Ministry said that an internal enquiry by the Railways had found that due procedure was not followed in adding the coach to the train, but did not clarify whether Vinay’s name was mentioned in the probe report.
The transfer order by the Department of Personnel and Training meanwhile said that the appointments committee had approved the premature repatriation “on the ground of promotion with immediate effect.”
Ministry sources, too, stressed that his “promotion was long due and the allegations of using influence to get an extra coach attached to the train had nothing to do with the transfer order.”