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Chandigarh, January 17
Captain Amarinder Singh has directed the state advocate general to examine the High Court judgement setting aside the appointment of Suresh Kumar as Chief Principal Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister and suggest further legal remedies.
An official spokesperson said the Chief Minister has also asked Advocate General Atul Nanda to analyse the court’s order in detail and ascertain the grounds cited by the judges to quash Suresh Kumar’s appointment.
The detailed judgement, delivered in the matter of Ramandeep Versus UOI, was made available by way of uploading on the website of the High Court at approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, said the spokesperson, adding that the government would now examine the same. Thereafter, further legal avenues would be explored to decide on the future course of action, he added.
The spokesperson further pointed out that both Government of India and State Governments have been appointing retired civil servants as Principal Staff Officers. The Prime Minister’s Office has a well-established tradition of over two decades of appointing retired civil servants as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. Mr. TKA Nair, who served with Dr. Manmohan Singh as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, was a retired IAS officer of 1963 batch of the Punjab cadre. The current Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Nipendra Mishra, is also a retired IAS officer of 1967 batch of the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Similarly, Gujarat and Kerala governments have also appointed retired IAS officers as Chief Principal Secretaries to the Chief Minister. Mr. K Kailashnathan, a 1979 batch IAS officer is serving as Chief Principal Secretary to the Gujarat Chief Minister, after his retirement in 2013. Similarly, Mrs. Nalini Netto, a former Chief Secretary, was appointed as Chief Principal Secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister, after her retirement in August 2017.
Suresh Kumar, a 1983 batch IAS officer, was appointed to the key post on account of his caliber and excellent track record in important roles, the spokesperson said, asserting that the Chief Minister’s decision to name the officer as his Chief Principal Secretary was motivated by the need to have a qualified, experienced and trusted officer in this vital position.
