PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from Uttarakhand have received interim relief from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which has stayed their central deputation orders for the time being. The officers, Neeru Garg and Arun Mohan Joshi, had challenged the decision, claiming they had been sent on deputation without their consent. Both officers are currently serving at the rank of Inspector general (IG) in the Uttarakhand Police.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued orders on March 5, appointing Neeru Garg as deputy inspector general (DIG) in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Arun Mohan Joshi as DIG in the Border Security Force. Following this, the Uttarakhand government had relieved both officers on March 6, directing them to join their new postings.
However, the officers opposed the move and first approached the Nainital High Court. They had not joined their new posting, arguing that they had neither applied for nor agreed to central deputation and that being sent to a lower rank post was equivalent to a professional demotion. The High Court, however, did not grant relief and advised them to approach CAT.
After filing their petition before CAT, the tribunal granted interim relief by staying the deputation orders until further directions. The tribunal has also asked the state government to submit its response along with relevant documents within four weeks.
The case has drawn attention, as it raises important questions about consent and rank in deputation policies.
