Rai sports school staffer demoted 5 yrs after ‘promotion sans rules’

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 21

The Director-Principal of Motilal Nehru Sports School, Rai (Sonepat), Bharti Arora today demoted HS Antal, sports officer to hockey coach, by cancelling the promotion given to him five years ago “without provisions in the rules”.

The IPS officer, who is posted as IG (Vigilance) in Gurugram besides being the Director-Principal of the school, said in the orders that the promotion given to Antal had been cancelled after providing him sufficient opportunities of personal hearings and after obtaining the consent of the Additional Chief Secretary (Sports and Youth Affairs).

The “Speaking Order” accessed by The Tribune said that on December 8, 2011, a request was made by the Director-Principal to the government for creating a post of Deputy Director (Sports).

One post of sports trainer was upgraded to the post of sports officer by the Financial Commissioner with a direction to the Director-Principal to make a provision of this in the service rules, indicating clearly the qualifications and experience required for the post.

Later, a proposal for promoting Antal to the post was sent to the government on August 8, 2012, without making any provisions in the service rules. On August 18, 2012, Antal was promoted as sports officer by the government.

A committee constituted to examine cases of employees, who were promoted without making provisions in the service rules of the school, submitted its conclusion that since no provision for the sport officer had been made, Antal would have to go back to his previous post of hockey coach, said the order.

The committee’s report was sent to the Chief Accounts Officer for expert opinion who also endorsed it, the order further read.

The order said that a complete report of three such promotions was sent to the ACS (Sports and Youth Affairs) and the promotion of SP Sheoran, from storekeeper to deputy superintendent (stores), had already been cancelled by him.

Interestingly, Antal is one of those staffers who were mentioned by Arora in her complaint to Sports Minister Anil Vij, demanding a probe by a senior IAS officer into their “illegal and immoral” activities.

Arora confirmed having cancelled Antal’s promotion. “An FIR under Sections 354 and 506 IPC for sexual harassment of a woman officer, an FIR under Section 420 of the IPC for embezzlement of government funds and a complaint of managing account of Indian Public Schools Council without information to the authorities are already pending against him,” Arora said.

Antal, however, described his demotion a “revengeful” act of the Director-Principal and against the rules.

“My appointing authority is the Financial Commissioner and only he could have taken any action against me,” said Antal.

He described the criminal cases of sexual harassment and embezzlement lodged against him as false and frivolous and said there was nothing illegal in managing accounts of the council.

‘Revengeful act’

HS Antal described his demotion from the post of sports officer to hockey coach as a “revengeful” act of the Director-Principal and against the rules.