Fresh row over Dharampal’s transfer

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is not competent to send back an AGMUT cadre officer working within its jurisdiction, to the Centre as all such transfers must be cleared by the joint cadre authority (JCA) headed by the Union home secretary, a top home ministry official has claimed.
Asked to comment on the Delhi government’s order shifting out principal secretary (home) Dharam Pal and placing his services at the disposal of the Union home ministry with effect from 09.05,2015, the official said the Delhi government did not have any powers to take such a decision unilaterally.
As per the laid down procedure, if an AGMUT cadre IAS officer has be transferred out before completing his tenure, the case must be put up to the JCA comprising Union home secretary and chief secretaries of Delhi, Goa, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
“Allocation and repatriation of IAS officers belonging to AGMUT cadre are done by the JCA of AGMUT cadre,” said a home ministry official. JCA allocates IAS officers to AGMUT states and UTs after examining their service records and as per the requests and demands of each of the administrations.
If a state government wants to transfer an AGMUT cadre officer, it can either allocate him an insignificant post or put him on compulsory wait. “There is no such thing as unilaterally putting the services of an AGMUT cadre officer at the disposal of the Union home ministry, in the middle of the officer’s tenure,” an official told TOI.
Dharam Pal was transferred soon after he signed a notification appointing joint commissioner of Delhi police M K Meena as new chief of anti-corruption branch, as per an order issued by Delhi LG Najeeb Jung.
According to procedure, if an AGMUT cadre IAS officer is transferred out before completing his tenure, then the case must be put up to the JCA comprising Union home secretary and chief secretaries of Delhi, Goa, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.