Dilli Ka Babu: Going against the grain

Babus are, by training, cautious and circumspect, conditioned not to tread on toes, especially of their political masters. But there are always exceptions who believe in expressing their opinions freely even if it does land them in hot water. A senior Indian Administrative Service officer in Kerala, B. Ashok, has incurred the wrath of the Congress-led United Democratic Front government for penning an article back in 2013 in support of then Gujarat chief minister and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Kerala government held an inquiry and concluded that Mr Ashok, then vice-chancellor of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, had violated service rules by writing an article in a local daily. It started disciplinary proceedings against the 1998-batch babu, with the state high court upholding its stance. But

Mr Ashok challenged the proceedings by petitioning the Supreme Court, which has provided relief by putting on hold the action initiated by the Kerala government. The state government has now been directed to respond to
Mr Ashok’s petition and the battle will probably continue. Watch this space for updates.

In the line of fire

The seeming reluctance of the Centre to respond to the terror attack in Pathankot has placed home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi in the firing line of the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP P. Bhattacharya.

While the panel members expected Mr Mehrishi to discuss the terror attack, he requested more time to present his report. He then presented his report on the Chennai floods following which he reportedly walked out midway through the deliberations.

Apparently, the ire of the members was further fuelled by the fact that Mr Mehrishi had not attended two previous meetings of the committee nor submitted action taken reports for discussion. The standing committees, many headed by non-Bharatiya Janata Party politicians, are an opportunity for the Opposition to pressure the government to explain its actions.

So any sign of non-cooperation does not go down well. Mr Mehrishi, however, is not entirely off the hook. He’s been advised not to absent himself in future discussions of the committee.

Serious lapse

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has come down heavily on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for “serious procedural lapses” in the appointment of officers. According to sources, information commissioner Yashovardhan Azad has pointed out that an instance, following an RTI query, in which the vigilance clearance for V.K. Sharma, a 1994-batch Indian Forest Service (IoFS) officer for induction in NHAI was apparently taken “telephonically” from the concerned ministry!

The commission has now directed that a copy of its order be sent to secretary, ministry of road transport and to the chairman of NHAI to express concern over the state of affairs.

According to Mr Azad, the CIC’s inquiry revealed irregularities in appointments and that there was a marked reluctance on the part of NHAI to part with information. Clearly, not something that the Modi government with its emphasis on transparency and forthrightness can be proud of.