NEW DELHI: India has withdrawn accreditation to Harish Dogra as its High Commissioner to New Zealand and appointed Kadakath Pathrose Ernest, a 1975 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, the new envoy. It is for the first time in recent years that New Delhi has recalled a High Commissioner.

Mr. Dogra, who was asked to return to New Delhi as far back as March 1, had been resisting his recall and took the unusual step of writing to Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and demanding his resignation.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesman on Wednesday said Mr. Dogra had been asked to return under the IFS (Pay, Leave, and Compensatory Allowances) Rules. Mr. Dogra had himself indicated that he would come back to India in the first week of April and then set April 15 for his return.

"He has, however, failed to adhere to his own schedule and continued to stay in New Zealand despite the recall order," the spokesman said.

According to South Block sources, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also External Affairs Minister, decided to withdraw Mr. Dogra's accreditation on Tuesday. Soon after, New Zealand High Commissioner Graeme Waters was informed and a request for an "agreement" (French for acceptance) for Mr. Ernest made.

In a quick response, the New Zealand side conveyed its acceptance of Mr. Ernest's "agreement."

The sources said the Ministry wanted to send out a signal to its missions and posts abroad that indiscipline would not be tolerated and that even senior IFS officials would be held accountable for their performance.

Both the sources and the spokesman did not want to get into the specifics of the charges against Mr. Dogra. On Tuesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said in Wellington that she could not recall anything like the controversy surrounding Mr. Dogra.

"It's most unusual," Ms. Clark was quoted as telling the New Zealand Press Association about the Dogra case.

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