Samuel’s appointment as CCLA challenged in CAT
Bureaucrats in Andhra Pradesh are at loggerheads. It was a near war for supremacy in the senior IPS officers in the State till recently, it is now senior IAS officers who are engaged in a battle of nerves for the hot seat.
Three senior IAS officers challenged the posting of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) Samuel in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT. The three bureaucrats, Chayaa Ratan, Safiq Ujjaain and Inderjeet have moved the CAT against the State Government’s decision to shift Samuel as CCLA, who is now facing criminal charges. Alleging that Samuel, who is named by the CBI in a charge-sheet for cheating, treason and misuse of power, the three senior IAS officers questioned the propriety of the Government in posting such an officer in an important position like the CCLA.
They also pointed out that a senior most IAS officer in the State should hold the position of the CCLA and mentioned that Samuel is junior to all of them. The three officers appealed to the CAT to take suitable action to move Samuel out of such crucial post like CCLA and do justice to them. By posting Samuel as CCLA the State Administration has ignored their seniority, they said in their appeal.
Only recently some senior IPS officers moved the CAT against the appointment of Director General of Police (DGP) Dinesh Reddy. The CAP quashed the appointment and referred the matter to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). However, by the time the CAT disposed of the case, the senior officers to Dinesh Reddy have either superannuated or sought voluntary retirement. Dinesh Reddy, therefore, reappointed as DGP only last month, albeit with the UPSC clearing his name.
Now, the IAS officers have knocked at the door of the CAT. The post of CCLA is important for the senior IAS officers as it is considered to be a threshold for the highest post in the State Administration, the Chief Secretary. In the recent years, those who held the post of the Chief Secretary, all of them had served as CCLA before moving to the hot seat.
- Sakshipost
