Government ‘rights’ a wrong, but causes ‘uneasiness’ for two officials!

Jaipur: IAS Manju Rajpal and her batchmate of 2000 batch - Debashish Pruthy - have not been promoted. Only two of these officials of 2000 batch were to be promoted to the rank of Principal Secretary on January 1, 2024. Now since Debashish is posted in another country, so Manju has been running from pillar to post but no ear is being given to her.

According to the service rules of Government of India, only on completion of twenty five years of service of an IAS will they be promoted to Principal Secretary level in higher super time scale. But in Rajasthan, the DoP sidelined the rules and promoted six IAS of 1993 batch on completion of merely twenty four years of service since a few officers of this batch were influential in the government. The Govt of India had even sent an objectionletter on this out of turn promotion, but the DoP did not pay heed to letter.

After this, officials from 1994 to 1999 batches were given promotions every years, without paying any attention to the rule. Interestingly, three IAS of 1999 batch were promoted to Principal Secretary rank on merely twenty three years of service!

But when number came for IAS of 2000 batch, then outgoing Chief Secretary Usha Sharma reenforced the twenty five year service rule and as a result, Manju and Debashish did not get promoted. Although Manju appealed to the govt, but now she will have to wait till January 1, 2025 to be promoted to Principal Secretary rank. Notably, with the promotion to the rank of Principal Secretary, an IAS would get benefit, in salary and allowance, of upto twenty thousand rupees per month. So, now once again, the twenty five year service rule would be followed in the state without cutting any corner for ‘out of turn promotion’ to any official. Notably, about thirty IAS, from 1993 to 1999 batches, have taken the benefit of sidelining of the rule by the DoP and taken out of turn promotions!