The Delhi High Court today agreed to hear a plea seeking action against bureaucrats who went on mass leave to protest against the suspension of two DANICS cadre officers by the AAP government on December 29 last year.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said it will hear a plea by a Delhi resident along with petitions relating to the spat between the Centre and the Delhi government it is hearing, on January 27.
On December 31 last year, around 200 DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) officers had gone on mass leave after two senior civil service officers of Delhi government’s Home Department were suspended for refusing to sign on a cabinet decision file. 70 IAS officers had also gone on half-day leave that day in solidarity with the agitators.
The Union Home Ministry had termed the suspension by the Delhi government as null and void.
The plea by Indu Prakash Singh said the Supreme Court had held that “public servants do not entertain legal right to strike” and therefore the act was “illegal”. It said the officers by going on mass leave had violated Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, which prohibited them from doing so.
It also sought an enquiry should be conducted to identify the officers who have instigated the unauthorised mass leave and disciplinary proceedings should be initiated against them.
“Direct the Union of India and Delhi government to take appropriate steps to ensure that such acts are not repeated in future,” the petitioner said, adding that mass leave by the officers “should be deemed as break in service”.
“The inaction on the part of the government sends a wrong message to the citizens and reinforces the public perception that India is democratic only in form and in reality different standards apply to the governors and the governed,” the plea stated.
The court also refused to entertain another plea seeking setting aside of the suspension of the two officials, saying the petition was “not maintainable” as it was not in public interest.
( Source – PTI )
