Latest news with #HCS
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Haryana: Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary questions appointment of HCS officer as Secretary of Legislative Assembly; demands reconsideration of move in letter to Governor
File photo: Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary (Picture credit: X/@VarunMullana) AMBALA: Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary has raised strong objections to the appointment of a Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer as the Secretary of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, calling it a clear violation of established norms. In a formal letter addressed to the Governor of Haryana, Ambala MP has urged immediate reconsideration of the appointment. According to Chaudhary, a transfer/appointment order dated July 20, 2025, has placed an HCS officer in the role of Vidhan Sabha Secretary, bypassing the Haryana Legislative Assembly Secretariat Service Rules, 1981 (as amended). He stressed that the position has traditionally been held by senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, and appointing a junior officer with only nine years of service undermines the dignity and functioning of the state's highest legislative institution. 'The move not only disregards the rules but also demoralises senior officers and the Assembly Secretariat staff, who now find themselves reporting to a relatively junior appointee,' Chaudhary stated in his letter. He emphasised that the appointment sets a concerning precedent and could adversely affect the credibility and operational efficiency of the Assembly. Highlighting the fact that department heads across the state government are generally drawn from the IAS cadre, the MP pointed out that appointing an HCS officer to such a high constitutional post is an exception that should not become a norm. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like End Season Sale: Special Discount Luxury Watches Buy Now Undo Varun Chaudhary concluded his letter by urging the Governor to re-evaluate the decision and, if an appointment must be made, to consider a senior IAS officer better suited to uphold the stature and responsibilities of the Vidhan Sabha Secretary's office.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC upholds order for Haryana to consider Arjuna awardee shooters for state civil services posts
Chandigarh: In a scathing ruling, the Punjab and Haryana high court has upheld an earlier decision directing the Haryana govt to consider international shooters and Arjuna Awardees Ankur Mittal and Abhishek Verma for appointments to the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) or Haryana Police Services (HPS), slamming the state and imposing a ₹50,000 penalty for "scuttling a genuine claim". The division bench, led by chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry, rejected the state's appeal against the April 18, 2022 order issued by justice Arun Monga, saying the case was rooted in "sound and time-tested principles of service jurisprudence" and should never have gone to court. Policy Changed After Applications Mittal and Verma had applied for HCS/HPS posts under the 2018 sports policy, which entitled top-performing athletes to state govt jobs. However, the Haryana govt amended the policy on March 9, 2019, and applied it retrospectively from Sept 5, 2018, disqualifying the two shooters effectively. Calling the move deliberate and mala fide, the court ruled that such retrospective changes cannot dilute the fundamental right of the petitioners to be considered under the rules in force at the time they had applied. Penalised for Events Not in Oly The Haryana govt's defence centred on the fact that the shooting events in which Mittal and Verma competed were not part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Mittal had won gold in the double trap men's event at the 52nd ISSF Championship in Korea in 2018, while Verma was part of the 10m air pistol men's team. However, the court held that their exclusion based on Olympic inclusion violated the principles of fairness and legitimate expectation, particularly when they had applied in good faith under the unamended 2018 policy. The bench imposed ₹50,000 in costs on the Haryana govt for pursuing what it termed avoidable litigation. Of this, ₹10,000 each is to be paid to Mittal and Verma, while ₹30,000 will be deposited with the high court's bar association. "This litigation ought not to have arisen in the very first place had the state of Haryana and its functionaries obtained proper legal advice," the court observed, criticising the govt's handling of the matter. The ruling is seen as a major win for elite Indian athletes who seek recognition and public employment for their international achievements. MSID:: 122763654 413 |
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Promotions of state officers to IAS despite chargesheet: Ex-minister seeks formation of special HC bench
Days after a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recommended the provisional promotion of eight Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers facing a vigilance chargesheet to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), former state minister Karan Singh Dalal wrote to the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, urging the formation of a special division bench to 'avoid contradictory orders' regarding alleged irregularities in the recruitment of the 2002 batch. The UPSC made its recommendations on July 14, based on a proposal from the Haryana government for promotion of 27 HCS officers from the 2002, 2003, and 2004 batches to the IAS cadre for 2024. Of these, the recommendation to promote eight officers is provisional due to an ongoing court case in Hisar. These promotions had been stalled since January 2023, following the filing of a chargesheet by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Hisar court. The chargesheet pertains to alleged irregularities in the recruitment process of the 2002 HCS batch and was submitted nearly 18 years after the initial FIR was registered in the case. According to officials, the promotion of these eight officers remains contingent on the quashing of the chargesheet filed against them. Dalal, who has been vocal in opposing these promotions, expressed concern that the officers 'may try to take advantage of judicial process viz. pendency of writ petition, as well as, obtaining different orders from different benches by suppressing material facts.' He further pointed out that 'some tainted officers have already filed the petitions for quashing of FIR which were dismissed as withdrawn at the first instance by one bench.' Dalal also noted that 'civil writ petitions were also filed seeking the same relief.'
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Promotion of HCS officers: Eight officers facing trial not to be promoted till exonerated by court
Eight Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers of 2002 batch facing trial in a corruption case will have to wait for their exoneration by the court for being promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The decision was taken by the selection committee headed by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) member, Dinesh Dasa which met in New Delhi on Monday to consider the names of HCS officers for appointment to 27 posts of IAS by promotion. Officials said that the eight HCS officers who are facing trial were included provisionally in the select list for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by way of promotion. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Officials said that the eight HCS officers who are facing trial were included provisionally in the select list for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by way of promotion. 'This, as per the central rules, means that they cannot be promoted to the IAS unless exonerated by the court,' said an official. A select list is a roll of officers recommended for induction into IAS. Officials said that the selection committee also prepared a list of 18 HCS officers who are found suitable for promotion to the IAS. Thus, their names were included in the select list for appointment to the IAS. These included Vivek Padam Singh of 1997 batch, Munish Nagpal, Mahender Pal and Satpal Sharma of the 2002 batch, Sushil Kumar of 2003 batch, Varsha Khangwal, Virender Sehrawat, Satyender Duhan, Manita Malik, Satbir Singh, Amrita Singh, Yogesh Kumar, Vandana Disodia, Jaideep Kumar, Samwartak Singh Khangwal. Criminal proceedings pending against 8 HCS officers The state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) had on July 4, 2023 presented a chargesheet (under section 173 of the CrPC) in the court of Hisar sessions judge, Dinesh Kumar Mittal, arraigning these eight HCS officers of 2002 batch as accused. They are Veena Hooda, Surender Singh-1, Jagdeep Dhanda, Sarita Malik, Kamlesh Bhadoo, Kuldhir Singh, Vatsal Vashisht and Jag Niwas. They were arraigned in a case pertaining to alleged irregularities and malpractices by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) in the recruitment process of 2001 HCS and Allied Services (executive branch) examination. A total of 29 persons including six former HPSC functionaries, four allied services officers and nine paper checkers were also arraigned in the charge-sheet. On a petition filed by one of the eight HCS officers facing trial, Jagdeep Dhanda, the Punjab and Haryana high court had on July 11 stayed the operation and effect of the charge sheet with regards to Dhanda. But the UPSC led selection committee did not consider Dhanda's case for appointment and decided to put his name in the select list as provisional along with his other batchmates. Legal experts said that a mere stay by the court on the operation and effect of the charge sheet filed by ACB did not mean that the officer became eligible for appointment to IAS. 'The charge sheet has been stayed and not quashed by the high court. Surely, the trial will come to a halt. But promoting an officer on the basis of a stay by the court can create more complications like reverting the officer back to HCS if the stay is vacated by the high court,' said Punjab and Haryana high court lawyer, Sachin Jain. Jain said the UPSC adopted the best way possible by keeping the name of the officer in the select list as provisional pending the outcome of the petition in HC or trial court. Rule 5(5) of the IAS (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations stipulated that the name of an officer included in the list of officers will be treated as provisional if any departmental or criminal proceedings are pending against him. 'The proceedings shall be treated as pending only if a charge sheet has actually been issued to the officer or filed in a court,' reads the explanation to the Rule. Similarly, Rule 7(3) said that if an officer included in the select list is issued with a charge sheet or a charge sheet is filed against him in a court of law after his inclusion, then his name in the select list shall be deemed to be provisional. In a nutshell, it means that officers against whom criminal proceedings are pending cannot be considered for promotion to the IAS unless exonerated by the court.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
UPSC clears promotion of 18 Haryana officers to IAS
A Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recommended the promotion of 18 Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). In addition, nine more HCS officers have been granted 'provisional' promotion, including eight against whom a chargesheet has been filed in a Hisar court over alleged irregularities in the 2002 HCS recruitment process. The Haryana government had recently sent a proposal to the UPSC recommending the promotion of 27 officers from the 2002, 2003, and 2004 HCS batches. These were against vacancies spread across five IAS batches: three for 2020, four for 2021, eight for 2022, ten for 2023, and two for 2024. The long-pending promotions had been delayed due to ongoing legal proceedings. The process gained momentum following persistent follow-ups by senior officials in the Haryana government. In 2023, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed a chargesheet in the Hisar court regarding the 2002 recruitment — a development that had stalled the career progression of many state officers. Explaining the 'provisional' tag, a senior official said: 'There was a view that the officers are fit for promotion, except for the fact that an FIR is pending against them and a chargesheet has been filed in court. In past cases, courts have quashed such chargesheets. If that happens here, their promotions will be treated as regular from the current date.' Another officer clarified that if the chargesheet is not quashed by December 31, the recommendation for promotion will lapse. 'In that case, a notification will not be issued for these eight officers. However, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is expected to soon issue the notification for the 18 officers whose promotions have been cleared,' the officer added. The chargesheet has remained a stumbling block for several years, repeatedly stalling the promotion process. In March this year, when the state government again approached the UPSC for promotions, it argued that the term 'chargesheet' should not be interpreted as the final report filed under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). However, the UPSC returned the proposal after the Solicitor General of India disagreed with the state's position. 'All cases where a report under Section 173 CrPC has been filed must be treated as chargesheets under Regulation 5(5) of the IAS Regulations, 1955,' the Solicitor General had clarified. Just three days before the DPC met, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the vigilance chargesheet filed against one of the eight HCS officers, Jagdeep Dhanda. In his petition, Dhanda alleged that he was wrongly implicated in the case, and that the chargesheet — filed 18 years after the FIR was registered — was motivated by extraneous and mala fide considerations.
