Top IPS officers from intelligence & investigation departments knock govt's door on salary issues

In a unique case, some top IPS officers heading important posts of border security, intelligence and investigation have moved the government claiming "anomalies" in their salary packages, which they contend, lower their dignity and morale.

The officers have been bracketed in the second top pay scale of Rs 75,500-Rs 80,000 as compared to the highest salary of Rs 80,000 fixed pay scale, despite they being the top police officers in the country as either being Directors General (DGs) of paramilitary forces or being the senior-most in the serving ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS).

Those affected include two DGs, Border Security Force (BSF) chief DK Pathak and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) head BD Sharma, NIA DG Sharad Kumar, two Special Directors in the Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain and Surender Singh and National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) DG RR Verma.

While 1978-batch Bihar cadre officer Verma is the senior-most among these officers, National Investigation Agency chief Kumar is of the 1979-batch, the two IB officers are of the 1980-batch while for Pathak (1979) and Sharma (1980), the government rules stipulate that DGs of central paramilitary forces will get Rs 80,000 fixed salaries.

Sources said while some officers have made written representations to the Union Home Ministry, some have "verbally" made their grievance known to the top security establishment including former Home Secretary Anil Goswami and his successor LC Goyal.

"The officials have made their grievances known to the government. This has never happened earlier. Their cases are being actively processed," a source in the Home Ministry privy to the development said.

The officials, sources quoting their representation said, have said that these anomalies in their appointment orders are completely "arbitrary in nature and in complete contravention of IPS (Pay) Rules, 2007 and amendment Rules, 2008...and this undermines the dignity" of the post that they hold. 

Incidentally, both the predecessors of the BSF and SSB DGs used to get the Rs 80,000 fixed pay scale but the appointment orders for Pathak and Sharma did not mention this authorisation being accorded to them.

The sources said the Union Home Ministry has "recognised the lacuna" in issuing these orders and some of these anomalies will be corrected on a case-to-case basis and on a priority.

"The government would not want the morale of its top officers to go down because of some technical issues. There are no financial implications involved in granting a fixed pay scale of Rs 80,000 to these officers and this is purely an issue of respect and the senior position accorded to them. A case has been made in this regard," one of the sources said.

Some of the officers have even briefed the Home Ministry, as it is their administrative authority, that their juniors who are heading state police forces as DGPs have been granted the Rs 80,000 fixed pay scale but they have been kept out.

An order issued by the Finance Ministry in 2008, post the 6th Pay Commission recommendations, had stipulated that the DGs and chiefs of paramilitary forces and central police organisations will get a fixed pay scale of Rs 80,000, which permits them to obtain certain official perks and allowances.

"The apex scale for the top few IPS officers of the country heading important organisations was a honour bestowed on them for securing a high rank after putting numerous years in service. These issues should be resolved at the earliest," said a retired official who had held a senior position.