Arrested Mohania SDO yet to be suspended

Patna: More than a week has passed since 2013 batch IAS officer and Mohania SDO Dr Jeetendra Gupta was arrested by the vigilance bureau on July 12 on the charge of accepting bribe from drivers to release their overloaded trucks, but the state government is yet to officially issue a notification regarding his suspension. “The services of any officer who is detained for more than 48 hours stand automatically suspended.It takes few days to issue notification in this regard,” said a senior IAS officer on the condition of anonymity.
According to official sources, investigating officer in this case has already submitted his report to the general administration department. The CM, who also holds the vigilance portfolio, has also been communicated, said an official.
At its extraordinary general body meeting held here last Thursday, members of the Bihar chapter of IAS Officers’ Association (IASOA) had termed Gupta’s arrest as “improper”. A copy of the minutes of the meeting was also sent to the Indian civil and administrative (central) association, New Delhi, for appropriate action.
“The association had strongly condemned the hurried action taken against a serving officer, throwing all established provisions of propriety and law to the winds,” said one of the members of the association.
The arrest of the SDO and the solidarity shown with him by the Bihar chapter of IASOA has evoked mixed reaction from the fraternity – past and present. A section of IAS officers feels the “steel frame of the administration has weakened” while another section thinks that they are so much divided on caste lines in Bihar that they don’t have the clout to defend their colleagues.
Former chief secretary of Bihar and Jharkhand V S Dubey said if corruption charges are proved against Gupta, he should be severely punished. “I don’t think there is any conspiracy against him. Since he has just started his career, there is no chance of any design against him,” Dubey told TOI over phone.