The Hindu : Karnataka News : CAT adjourns Chief Secretary case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 07, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka

CAT adjourns Chief Secretary case

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Thursday adjourned to April 16 applications by two senior IAS officers — Dilip Rau and P.B. Mahishi — challenging the selection and appointment of Sudhakar Rao as Chief Secretary of Karnataka.

The CAT had during an earlier hearing ordered issue of notices to the Centre and Mr. Sudhakar Rao on applications by Mr. Rau and Mr. Mahishi.

A Division Bench of the CAT, comprising Shantappa and Gautam Ray, is hearing the case.

In his application, Mr. Dilip Rau said the State had arbitrarily shifted Chief Secretary P.B. Mahishi to the post of Chairman of the Karnataka Power Corporation limited and named Mr. Sudhakar Rao, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, to succeed him. Contesting the legality of the order, and urging the tribunal to quash it, Mr. Rau said it is illegal and unconstitutional. He said that Mr. Sudhakar Rao had superseded several senior IAS officers, including him, and that the Government had not given any reason or passed any considered order for effecting the transfer or for the new appointment.

The superseded officers are Mr. Mahishi, Additional Chief Secretary to the State Government Neerja Rajkumar, Administrator of Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Chairman of Bangalore Development Authority Dilip Rau and Additional Chief Secretary and Chairman of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam limited Usha Ganesh.

Mr. Rau urged the Bench to quash the February 6 order of the State appointing Mr. Sudhakar Rao as Chief Secretary, saying that it violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution and also the service rules. Moreover, there was no reason whatsoever for the transfer and it had been done at the whim of some persons.

In yet another application, Mr. Mahishi urged the tribunal to quash the February government notification transferring him to the post of chairman of Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), while appointing Sudhakar Rao in his place.

He said that he was displaced by arbitrary exercise of power for a collateral purpose of favouring the new incumbent of the post, Sudhakar Rao.

With the applicants filing additional statements, the Bench asked the Government to file its counter and adjourned further hearing on the case to April 16.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka