After taxmen, Centre set to go after errant officials

Hyderabad: Days after cracking the whip against 12 senior income-tax officials who were compulsorily retired from service following charges ranging from extortion, bribe to sexual harassment, the Union home ministry is understood to be the giving final touches to a list of IPS officers who will be served notice for compulsory retirement for non-performance and corruption.

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) is reviewing the performance of IAS officers and it is likely to come out with a list of non-performing officers.

Though the names of IAS and IPS officers are not known, there is a likelihood of at least one IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh finding his name on the list.

As for IPS officers of the Telangana state cadre, among whom are a few non-performers, they are keeping their fingers crossed. “The Centre has reviewed the performance of All India Service officers (IAS and IPS). With regard to IPS officers, there are between 10 and 12 who will be served notices for premature retirement due to non performance and other allegations. They belong to different states. The review with regard to IAS officers is going on and there could be a few who could be shown the door,” a senior government official from New Delhi told Deccan Chronicle over telephone.

Asked specifically if there were IPS officers from Andhra Pradesh or Telangana state, the official neither confirmed nor denied it. “Over the last two-and-a-half years, the service records of over 1,100 IPS officers have been reviewed by the home ministry. Going by the records and information received from the state governments, the list of IPS officers who will be compulsorily retired, is being finalised,” the official said, adding that since the homework (review) was already done over the last two years now it is only a matter of time before the “deadwood” (non-performing officers) are out of service. “There are quite a few IAS officers who have a series of allegations against them besides non-performance. It is still under review and, at this moment, we cannot say how many will be compulsorily retired. But there will be a few for sure,” the official said.

Regarding the IPS officers, officials briefed home minister Amit Shah about the review and he is said to be firm on showing those officers the door.

Sources said that the review of service records was carried out under Rule 16 (3) of All India Services, 1958. As per the rules, the Centre government, in consultation with the state government, can compulsorily retire the officers in public interest after serving them notice.

With regard to AP, sources said that the performance of two senior IPS officers, both in loop line postings, came under the radar of the review committee which met in 2017. It is unclear as to what was mentioned in the report that was sent to the Centre regarding them. Though Telangana state has a couple of officers who have for long been categorised as “non-performers” and face allegations of corruption, it remains to be seen whether they will be shown the door or will continue in service. “This exercise mostly depends on the feedback of the state government,” a senior official from Telangana state said.

Between 2015 and 2018, the service records of about 1,200 IAS officers were reviewed out of which four were given compulsory retirement. In the case of IPS officers, four officers were given compulsory retirement in 2017 through which the Centre sent out a strong message to All India Services officers to perform or perish.