Babu relieved from charge for not letting official go home early

Additional chief secretary (agriculture) Bhagwan Sahai -- who has been accused of denying permission to an official to go home early to attend to a family emergency, following which the latter's son committed suicide -- has been relieved from his present charge. Bureaucrat DK Jain has been taxed with the functions of Sahai, who was earlier asked to explain his decision not to allow joint secretary Rajesh Ghadge to go home a little early.

Mantralaya employees had on Thursday staged a protest against Sahai inside the atrium in the building and demanded that he be suspended pending an inquiry.

On August 11, Ghadge had sought permission from the IAS officer to leave office for home early as his wife and son were having a fight and he wanted to sort out matters. However, Sahai allegedly refused consent. Later, Ghadge's son Avadhoot, a Standard XII student, committed suicide.

After staging the protest, Mantralaya officials had met chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya, who has been asked by agriculture minister Pandurang Phundkar to probe the matter.

Sources in the Mantralaya said that Kshatriya has asked Sahai to explain his side, after which appropriate action would be taken.