The Punjab government has suspended two senior IAS officers from the Rural Development and Panchayat departments in connection with a controversial decision to dissolve panchayats. Chief Secretary Anurag Verma issued suspension orders against Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari and Gurpreet Singh Khaira, principal secretary and director of the department respectively. This move comes just hours after the government informed the High Court that it would withdraw the notification issued on August 10.
The suspension of the officers, based on Rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Disciplined Appeal) Rules, 1969, was taken following Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's swift response after learning about the dissolution of the panchayats. However, questions have been raised regarding the timing of the suspension and why it took three weeks to act against the officers.
The controversy began when the Punjab government issued a notification on August 10 to dissolve all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis, and zila parishads. The elections for panchayat samitis and zila parishads were scheduled for November 25, while the elections for gram panchayats were set for December 31. This decision prompted a series of petitions challenging the government's move.
In the High Court, Advocate General Vinod Ghai informed a division bench that the government would withdraw the August 10 notification within two days. The court was hearing 11 writ petitions filed by various representatives of the panchayat system, including Shiromani Akali Dal's Gurjeet Singh Talwandi and Sarabjeet Singh, a sarpanch from Ludhiana. They questioned the government's authority to dissolve duly elected panchayat bodies before their term completion.
Talwandi's argument was based on the claim that the dissolution of panchayats was illegal under Section 29A of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. He contended that the government's action violated the Constitution, and he sought to quash the communication suspending financial transactions with the gram panchayats.
The court observed that the government had the power to dissolve Gram Panchayats in "exceptional circumstances" under Section 29A, where elections had been announced and the State Government deemed it necessary in the public interest.
As a response to the petitions, the court issued show-cause notices to doctors responsible for issuing a manipulated medical certificate to a prisoner. This decision followed the revelation that the medical certificate played a role in seeking a parole extension. The court took a serious stance against such improper practices.
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