Rectify defects in cops’  seniority list: HC to AP

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court has directed the Andhra Pradesh government to complete the exercise of rectifying the defects in drawing up the seniority list of inspectors of police (civil) and finalising the seniority of Deputy Superintendents of Police for promotion as additional SPs in six months time before final allocations are made between AP and Telangana states as per guidelines of the Central government.

The bench of Justice P V Sanjay Kumar and Justice N Balayogi was recently passing the order on a batch petitions filed by the direct recruit DSPs and others seeking a direction to the authorities not to proceed with allocations of DSPs between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, without revising the seniority list issued in GO 108 dated June 23, 2014. Some of the petitioners contended that the seniority list drawn up vide the impugned GO108 after bifurcation of the erstwhile combined state, was admittedly fraught with defects and lapses and it cannot be the basis for allocation. 

They sought making allotments in the cadre of DSPs in terms of Section 77 of the AP Reorganization Act, 2014.After hearing the case, the bench felt that finalisation of seniority list of DSPs was essential so as to make further promotions. “Merely because lapses have occurred in implementation of the applicable rules, it is not open to the authorities to sleep over such an essential exercise for years together and continue with ad hoc arrangements to the detriment of the officers,”the bench observed.