High Court tells UT to promote police inspectors

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 13

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Chandigarh Administration and its functionaries to promote UT police inspectors Dilsher Singh and Gurmukh Singh as DSPs on the availability of vacancies.

The Bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu also made it clear as a matter of abundant precaution that the IPS officer would be governed by the rules framed by the Centre.

The developments took place during the hearing of a petition filed by the Chandigarh Administration through its Home Secretary and other petitioners against the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and other respondents.

Speaking for the Bench, Justice Sharma observed that respondents were inspectors in the UT. Their conditions of service for promotion as DSP were governed by the Punjab Police Services Rules.

It was not in dispute that the next channel of promotion for the respondents-officers was DSP. But a decision was taken by the Central Government to send certain officers as DSP in Chandigarh on deputation basis. Under these circumstances, the respondent-inspectors filed an original application before CAT, which was disposed of on April 26, 2017. 

Allowing the application, the tribunal in its ruling set aside order dated July 29, 2016, and any other subsequent transfer order regarding the appointment of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Services (DANIPS)-cadre officers to the posts of DSP in Chandigarh.

At the same time, the UT was also directed to consider the case of applicants and other similarly situated persons for promotion to the next post of DSP, if they were otherwise found eligible within two months from receiving the order’s certified copy.

Justice Sharma added that the Bench was informed that respondent-Amrao Singh has been promoted subsequent to the order dated April 26, 2017. 

Dilsher Singh and Gurmukh Singh were considered by the duly constituted selection committee but they were not promoted for want of vacancies. Respondent Charanjit Singh too stood promoted. 

“Accordingly, the present petition is disposed of with a direction to the petitioners to promote the private respondents, Dilsher Singh and Gurmukh Singh, immediately on the availability of vacancies”.