KOCHI: The Ernakulam Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday set aside the Central Government order removing Prathibha A from the post of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regional officer, Thiruvananthapuram. She was removed from the post allegedly for denying certification to the documentary that “glorifies the role of the RSS in fighting the Emergency”.
The Bench also directed the Centre to allow Prathibha to work as a regional officer until completion of the deputation period.
According to Prathibha, she was appointed regional officer, CBFC, Thiruvananthapuram, on deputation for a period of four years with effect from October 7, 2014.The petition stated she was repatriated to the parent cadre Indian Economic Service before the expiry of the tenure, violating the Office Memorandum, which stipulates three months’ notice before premature repatriation.
Prathibha said the premature and abrupt repatriation before the expiry of deputation tenure without serving notice is illegal and violation of fundamental rights under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution. No reasons were specified in the notice, it stated.The petition cited Prathibha had an unblemished track record in discharging her duties and had outstanding grades in her annual confidential report for the past three years. No complaints had been raised that warranted such a hasty decision, she said.