Govt reinstates IAS officer suspended by EC for misbehaviour

Lucknow: The state government has reinstated a 2010 batch IAS officer, who was suspended by the Election Commission.

IAS officer Narendra Prasad Pandey was suspended by the Election Commission during the West Bengal Assembly Elections of 2021 where he was posted as election observer for Kashipur constituency following complaints against him for alleged misbehavior with women officers and other serious misconduct.

In a letter to Chief Secretary of UP, the Election Commission had stated that IAS officer Narendra Prasad Pandey has been accused of misbehaving with district officials, misusing his position whilst being an observer appointed by the commission and called for immediate suspension of the officer for committing misconduct considered undesirable.

The EC had also directed the chief secretarty to issue a charge sheet against Pandey.

Pandey, originally a PCS cadre officer was promoted to IAS in 2016. He had held posts of Additional Commissioner of Gorakhpur and CDO of Farukhabad during the regime of the previous SP and after the BJP formed government in the state, he was made the Special Secretary Minorities and Director Minorities.

He was though removed and made Special Secretary, Public Information and later attached to APC branch.

Following his suspension, he was attached to the Board of Revenue and has finally been reinstated to the APC branch and at a time when the state is set to go to polls in the coming months.