OUT OF 15 POSTS OF ADCS EARMARKED FOR HCS CADRE, ONLY 3 POSTED AS ON DATE, RECENTLY, 4 NEWLY APPOINTED IAS FROM NON-SCS QUOTA WITH BARELY 6 MONTHS OF ACTUAL SERVICE POSTED AS ADCS -- ADVOCATE HEMANT KUMAR
Face2News/Chandigarh
As on date, out of the total 22 districts in the State of Haryana, each having a duly sanctioned post of Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) which is second senior most administrative position in the district after Deputy Commissioner (DC), only 3 districts have ADCs from the cadre of Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch)- HCS (EB), the State Civil Service(SCS) of Haryana.
An Advocate at Punjab & Haryana High Court, Hemant Kumar, told that as per the HCS Cadre Strength and Composition Order as issued by Vijay Vardhan, then Chief Secretary, Haryana vide Order No. 43/1/2014- 6SII dated 15 October 2020 and which is applicable as on date, total 15 posts of ADCs at District Headquarters out of total 22 are earmarked for officers of HCS (EB) Cadre. However, only in Panipat (Veena Hooda, 2002 batch), Rohtak (Mahender Pal, 2002 batch) and Panchkula (Varsha Khangwal, 2004 batch) districts, HCS (EB) officers are posted as ADCs for the reasons best known to the Personnel Department of the State Government.
Only few days back on 10 April 2023, four newly selected IAS who have been appointed in the IAS from non-SCS (State Civil Service) quota on 25 Oct 2022 i.e. who have less than six months of actual service in IAS viz. Dr. Vivek Bharti, Dr. Harish Kumar Vashisht , Dr. Jainder Singh Chhillar, Dr. Brahmjeet Singh Rangi, have also been posted as ADCs of four districts as mentioned hereinbefore. Of course, they four have been granted 2016 batch year of IAS by DoPT, Govt of India in Dec, 2022 but it must also be taken into record that till date they have not yet completed their probation period in IAS, hence to post them as ADCs in districts is not appropriate considering that directly recruited IAS are posted as ADCs only after successful completion of probation period, quips Hemant.
The Advocate further elaborated that as per currently applicable IAS (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations in respect of State of Haryana as previously framed and notified by Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Government of India in Dec, 2018 only 7 posts of ADCs are earmarked for IAS officers ( in or above the Senior Scale level) but the fact is that as on date 19 IAS officers are posted as ADCs in Haryana viz. Dr. Vivek Bharti (ADC, Sirsa), Dr. Harish Kumar Vashisht (ADC, Bhiwani), Dr. Jainder Singh Chhillar (ADC, Charkhi Dadri), Dr. Brahmjeet Singh Rangi (ADC, Fatehabad) of 2016 batch of IAS, Swapnil Ravindra Patil (ADC, Rewari), Sahil Gupta (ADC, Jind), Dr. Vaishali Sharma (ADC, Karnal) of 2017 batch of IAS, Sachin Gupta (ADC, Ambala), Ayush Sinha (ADC, Yamunangar), Aparajita (ADC, Faridabad), Akhil Pilani (ADC, Kurukshetra) of 2018 batch of IAS, Vaishali Singh (ADC, Mahendragarh), Ankita Choudhary (ADC, Sonepat), Niraj (ADC, Hisar), Anand Kumar Sharma (ADC, Palwal), Saloni Sharma (ADC, Jhajjar), Hitesh Kumar Meena (ADC, Gurugram), Dr. Balpreet Singh (ADC, Kaithal) and Renu Sogan (ADC, Nuh) of 2019 batch of IAS.
Hemant asserted that there is no denying the fact that the posting and transfer of officers is the prerogative of the Competent Authority ( in case of HCS-EB and IAS officers, it's the State Government in the Personnel Department which comes directly under Chief Minister/Chief Secretary). However, since in the HCS Cadre Strength and Composition Order as applicable as on date, if 15 posts of ADCs are earmarked for HCS (EB) officers and moreover such officers with minimum service requirement viz. in Selection Grade/Super Time Scale or having 9 to 18 years of Service in HCS (EB) Cadre as specified in the aforementioned HCS Cadre Order are available, then the State Government must comply such Order in letter and spirit and thus ought to post suitable HCS (EB) officers on such earmarked 15 posts of ADCs in Haryana.
Only few days back on 10 April 2023, four newly selected IAS who have been appointed in the IAS from non-SCS (State Civil Service) quota on 25 Oct 2022 i.e. who have less than six months of actual service in IAS viz. Dr. Vivek Bharti, Dr. Harish Kumar Vashisht , Dr. Jainder Singh Chhillar, Dr. Brahmjeet Singh Rangi, have also been posted as ADCs of four districts as mentioned hereinbefore. Of course, they four have been granted 2016 batch year of IAS by DoPT, Govt of India in Dec, 2022 but it must also be taken into record that till date they have not yet completed their probation period in IAS, hence to post them as ADCs in districts is not appropriate considering that directly recruited IAS are posted as ADCs only after successful completion of probation period, quips Hemant.