Centre strips states’ power to suspend bureaucrats

States will not be able to keep an IAS or IPS officer suspended for more than a month, as per new procedures issued by the Centre. Besides, states will have to inf-orm the Centre within 48 hours about the suspension of an all-India services officer — IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).

The new procedure assumes importance as officers like Ashok Khe-mka, Sanjiv Chaturve-di, Durga Sakthi Nagpal and Kuldip Narayan, among others, have allegedly been victims of arbitrary suspensions and transfers.

The suspension of an IAS, IPS and IFoS officer, suspended on charg-es of corruption, shall not exceed two years, except on the recomme-ndation of the Central Review Committee, hea-ded by secretary in dep-artment of personnel and training (DoPT), latest procedures said.

Also, IAS officers wor-king under the Central government cannot be suspended without the nod of the PM.

An IAS, IPS and IFoS officer, when placed under suspension, the information in this regard shall be communicated to Government of India expeditiously and within the period of 48 hours, an order issued by the DoPT said.

A copy of the suspension order, along with the reasons or grounds of suspension, shall be communicated to the cadre-controlling authority in the Central government not later than 48 hours, it said.

“Where a state government passes an order for suspension of a member of service, it will be valid for a period of 30 days from the date from which the member is placed under suspension. Further extension for 30 days requires confirmation by the Central government,” the DoPT said.

A member of the service who is detained in official custody, whether on a criminal charge or otherwise for a period longer than 48 hours, shall be deemed to have been suspended by the government concerned, it added.

A detailed report of the suspension shall be forwarded to the Central government within a period of 15 days from the date on which the member of the service is suspended or is deemed to have been suspended.

IAS officers working under the Central government shall only be suspended on the recommendations of the Central Review Committee as amended with the approval of minister-in-charge, department of personnel and training, it said.

The period of suspension of an IAS, IPS and IFoS officer, suspended on charges of corruption, shall not exceed two years but the same can be continued beyond two years on the recommendations of the Central Review Committee. The period of suspension for any reason other than corruption shall not exceed 120 days.