Latest news with #HaryanaCivilServices
Time of India
5 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
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Rules of game can't be changed once it's begun': Punjab and Haryana HC raps Haryana for changing recruitment rules mid-way
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday struck down Haryana's retrospective application of amended recruitment rules, holding that it violated the fundamental rights of job applicants. It also imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the state for what it called a deliberate attempt to undo legitimate claims. Both appeals challenged a common order passed by a single judge on April 18, 2022, in two Civil Writ Petitions. The petitioners, Abhishek Verma and Ankur Mittal, had alleged that they were wrongfully denied appointments to the Haryana Civil Services and Haryana Police Services (HCS/HPS) despite meeting the criteria outlined in the Haryana Outstanding Sportspersons (Recruitment & Conditions of Service) Rules, 2018. In its judgment pronounced on July 17, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel observed, 'The act of the State in making amendment on 09.03.2019 to have effect retrospectively from 05.09.2018 appears to be a deliberate act to scuttle the legitimate claim of the petitioners (respondents herein), which had matured under the 2018 Rules.' The bench held that Haryana's move violated applicants' fundamental right to fair consideration for public employment. Reaffirming that 'rules of the game cannot be changed once the game has begun', the court said recruitment processes must remain transparent and equitable. The bench also remarked, '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 action of the appellants herein appears to be merely to scuttle the genuine claim of the petitioners. Thus the appellant-State of Haryana is liable to be saddled with cost of Rs.50,000/- out of which Rs.10,000/- each shall be paid to both the petitioners, namely, Abhishek Verma and Ankur Mittal and the remaining amount of Rs.30,000/- shall be credited in the account of Punjab & Haryana Bar Association, Chandigarh for having wasted precious time of this Court in pursuing this avoidable piece of litigation.' The court emphasised that altering recruitment rules once the process has begun undermines the principles of fairness and transparency. Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in K Manjusree vs State of Andhra Pradesh (2008), the court said, 'Introduction of the requirement of minimum marks for interview, after the entire selection process… was completed, would amount to changing the rules of the game after the game was played, which is clearly impermissible.' This view was echoed by a Constitutional Bench in Tej Prakash Pathak vs Rajasthan High Court (2023), which held that recruitment benchmarks cannot be altered mid-process. The case arose from a Haryana Government amendment to recruitment rules notified on March 9, 2019, but made effective retrospectively from September 5, 2018. The petitioners, who had applied under the 2018 Rules, argued that their right to be considered under those rules had crystallised at the time of application. The retrospective change, they contended, unfairly altered eligibility criteria, wiping out their valid claims.
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Crackdown in Haryana 50% revenue officials to face chargesheets
Over 100 tehsildars and naib tehsildars in Haryana are set to face chargesheets for executing land deals allegedly in violation of rules, with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini approving the action. Around 50 per cent of the total working strength of tehsildars and naib tehsildars in the state are accused of registering residential plots without mandatory clearances for the past few years. Currently, 58 tehsildars and 156 naib tehsildars are posted across Haryana's tehsils to oversee various types of land transactions. The sanctioned strength is higher — 96 for tehsildars and 219 for naib tehsildars. According to sources, the Haryana Revenue Department had initially proposed action against 45 tehsildars, 61 naib tehsildars, 14 district revenue officers (DROs), and nine Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers — bringing the total to 129. However, chargesheets have now been approved against 118 of them, while no action has been deemed necessary against 11 officers. Officials who executed more than 50 land registrations will face charges under Rule-7 of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 2016. This rule allows for major penalties, including dismissal, removal, or compulsory retirement from service. Those who executed fewer than 50 registrations will be charged under Rule-8, which provides for minor penalties such as censure, withholding of promotion, or increment. As per existing regulations, revenue officers are required to register agricultural land—especially land falling within municipal committee jurisdictions—only after obtaining clearance from the Town and Country Planning Department and the respective municipalities. In such cases, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) under Section 7-A of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas (Amendment) Act, 2017 is mandatory. 'But these officers executed the registration of land without due clearance. Final action following issuance of chargesheet will be taken after examining their replies,' a senior state government officer told The Indian Express. Sources revealed that agricultural land was sold for residential colonies or industrial use without obtaining CLUs (Change of Land Use), allegedly to evade heavy stamp duty and other charges. 'The same process was adopted for registration of residential plots,' said an official. However, a revenue official highlighted the practical challenges faced by tehsildars. 'Many of these cases of plots were those which already have all basic amenities including roads and streetlights. In several of the cases reached for registration and sale of the plots were those already having registration of the land concerned. What was the fault of a tehsildar if the land concerned had already a land registration document,' the official said. The latest decision to chargesheet revenue officers comes less than a month after the state government approved similar action against 80 officials from the Irrigation Department, following the failure of multiple construction material samples from ongoing irrigation projects in quality tests
The Print
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Haryana govt cracks whip: 80 irrigation officials in soup over quality of concrete used in projects
At least seven to eight SEs (superintending engineers) are also facing disciplinary action, besides two chief engineers. While the SEs will face action under Rule-8, a displeasure note will be served on the two chief engineers. The list of accused officials and employees includes names of JEs (junior engineers), SDOs (sub-divisional officers), and XENs (executive engineers). These officials have been charge-sheeted under Rule-7 of Haryana Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 2016. Gurugram: Haryana government Wednesday initiated action against 80 officials of the Irrigation & Water Resources Department (I&WRD) for alleged corruption and negligence pertaining to quality of hardened concrete used in various projects under the department's aegis. The names of these officials, however, have not yet been made public. This crackdown follows a detailed probe triggered by substandard construction samples that have caused significant financial losses to the state exchequer. Documents accessed by The Print suggest that a high-level committee, constituted on 5 June under commissioner and secretary Mohammed Shayin, IAS, was tasked with framing draft charge sheets and displeasure notes against the officials in question. The committee includes senior officers including Jaideep Rao (chief engineer, I&WRD), Rakesh Kumar (superintending engineer), Hanish Kumar (executive engineer), Ajeet Hooda (executive engineer), and Mandeep Sheokand (executive engineer). Directed by Rao, the panel identified officials ranging from JEs to chief engineers for penalties under Rule-7. Rule-7 provides for imposing a major penalty against a government employee, like dismissal, removal or compulsory retirement after giving him or her a reasonable opportunity to defend their actions. Rule-8, on the other hand, mandates minor penalties like censure, withholding a promotion or an increment after giving the employee a fair chance to defend themselves. The investigation stemmed from quality control failure uncovered in tests conducted earlier this year, for which 48 concrete samples were collected from multiple irrigation projects. Of these, 18 failed to meet standards. A follow-up letter dated 7 June from chief engineer Jaideep Rao addressed to SEs of the department's vigilance wing revealed that officials failed to analyse test results against specifications, leading to significant deviations and financial losses. The SEs were directed to submit a comprehensive report within two days, with daily progress updates to be shared with the department's commissioner and secretary. 'Any laxity in compliance is viewed very seriously,' Rao's letter warned. Confirming the action while speaking to ThePrint Wednesday, Haryana Irrigation Minister Shruti Choudhry termed it as part of the government's zero-tolerance policy on corruption. She highlighted that vigilance raids, prompted by repeated complaints, exposed systemic lapses as projects neared completion. The samples that failed quality tests included hardened concrete samples and HDP (high-density polyethylene) pipes, she said. Choudhry noted that substantial payments had already been made to contractors, and the government is exploring recovery options. 'The charge sheets, outlining specific allegations and evidence, will pave the way for legal proceedings, with guilty officials facing dismissal, salary cuts, or promotion bans, though they retain the right to defend themselves.' (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: 'Kulguru, not V-C'—all official correspondence with Haryana education minister now only in Hindi
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Deficiencies in civil works: Haryana govt to chargesheet 80 irrigation department officials
The Haryana government has ordered that 80 engineering officials including a number of class 1 officials of the irrigation and water resources department be charge-sheeted for major and minor penalty. The action has been initiated after samples of the civil works being undertaken by the department failed quality tests in 16 circles. Officials in the rank of superintending engineer (SEs) and heading these 16 circles would be issued a charge sheet for minor penalty while those in the rank of executive engineer, sub-divisional officer and junior engineer would be chargesheeted for major penalty. Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has approved disciplinary action against these officials. Certain chief engineer rank officials will also get a displeasure note from the state government, officials said that samples of ongoing civil works and installation of high density polyethylene pipe were collected for quality check by the office of superintending engineer, vigilance of the irrigation department in November-December 2024. 'The testing was done at IIT, Ropar, NIT, Kurukshetra and Shri Ram Lab at New Delhi. A lot of deficiencies were found in the civil works and the samples did not meet the parameters set by the Indian Standards Code. The testing revealed use of inferior quality material. Also, construction parameters were not met,'' said an official. Officials said that a committee under the lead of chief engineer (coordination) Jai Deep Rao has been constituted to frame chargesheets against the errant officials. Irrigation and water resources minister Shruti Choudhry said that compromise on the quality of construction material will not be tolerated. '48 samples of construction materials used in various ongoing projects of the Irrigation department were collected out of which 18 failed quality tests,' Choudhry said. The minister said some of the projects were nearing completion, a stage where the accountability of officials increases significantly. After repeated complaints, the vigilance wing of the department conducted raids and took samples, she said. Punishment for major penalty under Rule 7 of Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules entailed compulsory retirement, dismissal from service, withholding of increment with cumulative effect, withholding of promotion for more than a year, reduction to a lower stage in the pay band or pay scale for a specified period. Punishment for minor penalty under Rule 8 of Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules included issuing a warning (with a copy in the personal file), censure, withholding of promotion for a year, recovery of any pecuniary loss caused by negligence or breach of orders, withholding of increment without cumulative effect.
