DEHRADUN: In a major decision today, Speaker of the Assembly, Ritu Khanduri has ordered the constitution of an expert inquiry committee and sent the secretary of the Assembly on a month's leave. The three-member inquiry committee will submit its report within a month.
Speaker Khanduri, who returned from a foreign tour on Saturday, spoke to reporters in her office in the State Assembly. She said a high-powered committee headed by former principal secretary Dalip Kumar Kotia has been constituted to examine all appointments and promotions. It has former IAS and Personnel Secretary Surendra Singh Rawat and former IAS Avnindra Singh Nayal as members.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within a month. The Speaker said that the present secretary Mukesh Singhal has been sent on leave with immediate effect. His office has been sealed.
Three promotions of Singhal in the short term are also under scrutiny.
Speaker Ritu said that, "Initially the appointments of 2000 to 2011 will be examined and after that, if the situation arises as per the inquiry, appointments of pre-2011 period will also be brought into the scrutiny. There has been a ruckus in the Assembly over recruitments for some time now. Former Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had made 152 appointments in the Assembly just before his term ended and former Speaker Premchand Agarwal had made 73 appointments. Both had described it as their prerogative when the question arose."
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had written to the Speaker requesting an inquiry into it.
While briefing the media, Speaker Ritu assured that, " Justice will be done to the youth of the state. Further action will be taken on the basis of whatever report of this committee comes".
Replying to a question, she said, "Till 2011, Uttar Pradesh rules were applicable in the assembly. In 2012, the state formed its own manual. At first appointments from 2000 to 2012 will be examined, If needed, appointments from state formation to 2011 will also be brought under the scanner".
It is worth mentioning that on the basis of the statements of the accused caught in the Subordinate Selection Service Commission recruitment scam, the scams of assembly recruitments have come to light.
The 2015 sub-inspector recruitment scam and other related scams were also carried out in a gang-bound manner, the main accused of which were arrested by the STF last month.
Backdoor recruitments in the Assembly are another major setback for the state, which is already grappling with widespread corruption in the field of government recruitment.