HYDERABAD: In a temporary relief to two trainee IAS officers, the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Wednesday directed the authorities to continue the officers Srijana Tummala and Shiva Sankar Lathoti, who are currently working with the AP government, in their present positions till March 25.
The bench comprising B Venkateswara Rao (member, judicial) and Ranjana Chowdary (member, administration) passed this interim order while hearing the pleas of these officers who submitted that they stood allotted to Telangana on account of wrong recording of their native places in the records. Srijana is a native of Chittoor and Shiva Sankar hails from Vizianagaram district.
They are presently working as trainee assistant collectors in Krishna and Guntur districts, respectively.
Petitioners’ counsel contended that the authorities had shown them as natives of Telangana and the wrong recording of their domicile status had resulted in their erroneous allotment to Telangana. He urged the tribunal to continue them in AP.
Centre’s senior standing counsel G Jayaprakash Babu opposed grant of any relief to the applicants as the final cadre allocation was over and they have three more months time to represent to the authorities even after the final allocation. He said applicants have to go to their allotted cadre first and represent next.
While directing the Centre, the AP and Telangana governments to file their counters in the matter, the bench directed the authorities not to disturb the two officers till March 25.
Dealing with another similar petition of M Siva Prasad, a DIG-rank IPS officer currently working as joint police commissioner in the Hyderabad police commissionerate’s city armed reserve wing, the bench said it would hear his interim application for continuing him in Hyderabad on humanitarian grounds on March 18.