CAT gives relief to UP IPS officer

In a major jolt to the Akhilesh government, the Central Administrative Tribunal has quashed the appointment of an inquiry officer to probe charges against suspended IPS officer Amitabh Thakur.

The CAT termed the appointment of inquiry officer “against the rules”. The IPS officer was suspended after he alleged that Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav had threatened him over the phone and several inquiries were ordered against him by the Akhilesh government.

An order passed by a CAT bench of Navneet Kumar and Jayati Chandra said the appointment of V.K. Gupta as the inquiry officer by the state government on July 14, 2015, even before serving a chargesheet on the IPS officer on July 15 was “against the mandatory provisions of Rule 8(6) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules and is hence not sustainable in the eyes of law”. The CAT said the government must also decide over a representation by Amitabh Thakur seeking an opportunity to be heard by the CM chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is also minister in charge of the home department.

The tribunal said the government must take all actions in the departmental inquiry in accordance with the rules prescribed for departmental inquiries.