High Court: Centre challenges change in allocation of 15 AIS officers from AP to Telangana
Deputy Solicitor General Praveen Kumar argued that the order which was passed in Somesh Kumar’s case is applicable to all the IPS and IAS officers now working in the Telangana State, but originally allotted to Andhra Pradesh.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 24 July 2023 2:53 PM GMT
Hyderabad: On Monday, The Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT), Union of India, New Delhi, urged the court to consider its petition challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Hyderabad order allocating 15 AIS officers to the Telangana State, who were originally allotted to Andhra Pradesh post-bifurcation.
Deputy Solicitor General, Gade Praveen Kumar, who was representing the DOPT, informed the Telangana High Court Division Bench comprising Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice Pulla Karthik, that the then Telangana Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice S Nanda had passed orders directing the former chief secretary of the Telangana State Somesh Kumar IAS to report back to the Andhra Pradesh. The then CJ Court found fault with the CAT order allocating Somesh Kumar to the Telangana State.
Praveen Kumar argued that the order which was passed in Somesh Kumar’s case is applicable to all the IPS and IAS officers now working in the Telangana State, but originally allotted to Andhra Pradesh.
This contention was vehemently opposed by the other senior counsels present in the court. Jonnalagadda Sudhir Kumar and other counsels said that Somesh Kumar’s case is not applicable to the other AIS officers working in Telangana.
Lakshmi Narasimha, senior counsel for one of the petitioners, informed the Division Bench that the Central government does not have any reason to appear in this batch of writ petitions as there are so many cases pending in the High Court. She argued that Somesh Kumar's judgment is not applicable to the remaining batch of writ petitions as this aspect was made clear by the former Telangana CJ Ujjal Bhuyan.
Santosh Kumar, a special government pleader, attached to the advocate general, Telangana, informed the court that a review petition has been filed in the High Court, seeking a review of the order passed by CJ Ujjal Bhuyan, which found fault with the allotment of Somesh Kumar to the Telangana State and it is pending before the Chief Justice Court.
Sudhir Kumar, appearing for one of the AIS officers in the batch of writ petitions, argued that when the AIS officers in the Telangana State are comfortable working where they are, and neither Telugu states have any issues then why is the Central government seeking an urgent hearing.
The CAT, Hyderabad, had passed orders on March 29, 2016, allocating Anjani Kumar IPS, Abhilasha Bhisht IPS, Santosh Mehra IPS, AV Ranganath IPS, Abhishek Mohanty IPS, C Hari Kiran, IAS, D Donald Rose IAS and other officers to the Telangana State, which is being challenged by the DOPT.
The Bench adjourned the case for two weeks.
