Somesh Questions Mohanty Role in Cadre Advisory Panel

HYDERABAD:  Terming the guidelines as faulty and discriminatory in respect of IAS cadre allotment between Telangana and AP, GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar on Tuesday told the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal that the IAS officers were adversely affected.

The tribunal bench, comprising B Venkateswara Rao (member, judicial) and Ranjana Chowdary (member, administration), was hearing the plea of Somesh, who challenged allotment to AP state and was seeking retention in Telangana cadre.

Senior counsel DV Sitarama Murthy, appearing for Somesh, said that the classification of IAS officers was done in an arbitrary manner. Dividing the IAS officers as promotee and direct recruit officers and natives of Telangana and AP etc. was wrong, he contended.

Answering a query from the bench, as to what will happen if all the existing seniors opt for one state, the senior counsel said the approach for classification should be rational and balanced, but not unilateral. In fact, the guidelines prepared for swapping batch-wise, pay band wise etc. were not in tune with the laws, he pointed out.

Sitarama Murthy found fault with the authorities for inclusion of then chief secretary PK Mohanty in the advisory committee as he had a vested interest in the form of his daughter and son-in-law both of whom are IAS officers and they too were awaiting cadre allocation from the same panel. The Centre should have avoided inclusion of Mohanty in the advisory panel in order to achieve a fair and equitable treatment to all, he added.

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