Are decisions regarding transfer, postings and “punishment” of bureaucrats being taken in an arbitrary manner by the Karnataka government?
The question has been raised again following the ‘compulsory retirement’ of IAS officer M.N. Vijayakumar just three days before his retirement and the other recent decision to transfer another IAS and an IPS officer.
Mr. Vijayakumar, officer on special duty, Principal Secretary, DPAR (department of enquiry manual), had been punished for ‘indiscipline’ and sent on ‘compulsory retirement’ on April 27. Now, he will get two-thirds of what is due to him as pension.
“Vested interests in the administration had forced my husband into compulsory retirement,” his wife Jayashree told The Hindu .
Mr. Vijayakumar, a 1981 batch IAS officer, who had embarrassed the government by exposing corrupt practices of senior officers, had opposed the appointment of retired IPS officer M. Kempaiah as Adviser to the Home Minister stating that he “does not have a clean record”. Even as it is not clear if Mr. Vijayakumar will challenge this decision, two other recent ones by the State government have raised serious questions over “frequent and arbitrary” transfer of IAS officers in the State.
Mysuru witnessed the transfer of two civil servants last week. IAS officer Rashmi V., who had openly alleged financial irregularities by her predecessor, was eased out of the post of Director-General of the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Mysuru, and posted as Secretary to the Government, Food Processing and Harvest Technology. The transfer came barely 10 months after Ms. Rashmi’s posting to ATI.
‘Compulsory retirement’ of an IAS officer has raised questions if Karnataka is acting in an arbitrary manner
