HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad branch of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has refused to grant interim relief to IPS officer Abhishek Mohanty, who was recently relieved from the Telangana cadre as well as his position as the police commissioner of Karimnagar. Mohanty had approached CAT, challenging the decision of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to allot him to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
While declining interim relief to Mohanty, the tribunal issued notices to the Union of India, directing them to file its counter in response to the IPS officer’s plea and objections.
Mohanty has argued that the authorities failed to properly consider his domicile records and misjudged his eligibility, despite his long-standing ties to Hyderabad.
In his petition, Mohanty sought a re-examination of his case based on domicile grounds and requested a suspension of the MHA order until the tribunal adjudicates his plea. He maintains that he is a permanent resident of Hyderabad and asserts that if this fact had been properly considered, he would have been allotted to the Telangana cadre under paragraph 5.1.3(I) of the Pratyush Sinha Committee’s recommendations.
Mohanty also referenced a July 19, 2021, order by CAT, which found that the authorities had erred in treating him as an outsider, despite being a direct recruit from the Telangana region. A BTech graduate in Computer Science from Vasavi Engineering College, Hyderabad, Mohanty was selected as an IPS officer in 2010.
He further compared his case to that of IAS officer Lotheti Siva Sankar, whose Telangana cadre allotment was recently overturned by CAT, leading to his reallocation to the Andhra Pradesh cadre purely on domicile grounds. Mohanty argued that, like Siva Sankar, he should be entitled to the Telangana cadre based on his domicile status.
Both CAT and the high court have previously upheld his domicile as Telangana, and Mohanty contended that the Union government failed to review this crucial aspect when rejecting his representation.
He urged the tribunal to direct the Centre to reconsider his case from a domicile perspective and to suspend the order, allowing him to continue serving in Telangana until the final verdict is delivered.
Union of India asked to file its counter
While declining interim relief to Mohanty, the tribunal issued notices to the Union of India, directing them to file its counter in response to the IPS officer’s plea and objections. Mohanty has argued that the authorities failed to properly consider his domicile records and misjudged his eligibility, despite his long-standing ties to Hyderabad.