Transfer 'tainted' officials from sensitive posts: Himachal Pradesh High court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court Friday categorically told the state government to shift 43 government functionaries "of doubtful integrity" from sensitive posts within three weeks.

Passing the hard-hitting order, a division bench of Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice D.C. Chaudhary directed the chief secretary to file a compliance report in this regard before Dec 27. "In case still some officers of doubtful integrity due to unavoidable reasons could not be shifted, then spell out such reasons. The exercise is to be done in three weeks," said the court.

It will now hear the case Dec 27.

The state Dec 2 pleaded with the court to either recall or modify its orders to transfer 43 officers of doubtful integrity from sensitive posts.

An affidavit filed by officiating Chief Secretary P. Mitra said: "It's always the effort of the government to avoid posting such officers in sensitive posts." "But since non-sensitive posts are not there in all cadres, hence, it may become unavoidable to post some officers in posts which cannot strictly be termed as non-sensitive."

The high court, hearing a plea of former drug controller Sher Singh Thakur, who appealed for the departmental proceedings against him to be set aside after he was convicted June 2011 for corruption, had sought a list of government functionaries with doubtful integrity.

The high court, while hearing the plea, had widened the scope of the matter to address the basic issue of tainted officers in sensitive posts.