Taking files by official after transfer prima facie unauthorised: Haryana Govt

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, April 27

The Government of Haryana has said that the act of SN Roy, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums Haryana, of taking the files related with the promotion of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer G Raman with him while leaving the Department of Forest and Wildlife on transfer prima facie seemed unauthorised.

Had no option but to retain files

I had no option but to retain the relevant files with me to prepare a reply due to my sudden transfer from the Forest Department. It is in these circumstances that I retained the files. The retention of the files was duly intimated to the department initially. — SN Roy, ADDL CS, Dept of archives

This has been stated in an affidavit filed by Sanjeev Kaushal, Chief Secretary of Haryana before Common Administrative Tribunal (CAT). Kaushal said in the affidavit that the matter has been brought to the notice of the cadre controlling Authority of the Indian Forest Service and the Minister in charge of the Forest and wildlife department for the appropriate action in the matter. The Chief Secretary further submitted that the matter of promotion of G Raman, IFS, was under consideration of the competent authority and was likely to be decided within a week.

“The act of holding on to the file by the former ACS Forests and Wildlife SN Roy after demission of office on February 9, 2022, till March 29, 2022, when he sought the advice of Legal Remembrancer and Secretary to Government Haryana, Law and Legislative Department (LR) prima facie seemed unauthorised,” said the Chief Secretary in the affidavit.

Meanwhile, SN Roy also filed the affidavit in which he claimed that he had been erroneously impleaded as the party in the contempt petition as he was not the competent authority for the purpose of promotion.

Roy, in the affidavit, claimed that as the answering respondent was required to file his personal reply to contempt petition as also reply to the Chief Secretary of Haryana who sought an explanation on certain issues, he had no option but to retain the relevant files with him to prepare a reply due to his sudden transfer from the Forest Department. It is in these circumstances he retained the files. He said that the retention of the files was duly intimated to the department initially.

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