Chandigarh: Hours after taking a “U-turn" by informing the high court that it is withdrawing its notification dissolving all gram panchayats in the state, the Punjab government suspended two senior IAS officers for a “technically flawed" decision.
The government suspended 1994-batch IAS officer Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats, and 2009-batch IAS officer Gurpreet Singh Khaira, Director, Rural Development and Panchayats and ex-officio Special Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats, under the provisions of rule 3(1) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, according to an official order.
The order of suspension was issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Verma.
Earlier in the day, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it was withdrawing the notification on dissolution of all gram panchayats in the state, which was seen as a major embarrassment for the Bhagwant Mann regime.
Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said the state government has suspended the principal secretary and director of the rural development and panchayats department with immediate effect for taking a “technically flawed" decision regarding the dissolution of panchayats.
According to reports, panchayat minister Bhullar was involved at every step from the beginning to end in the entire decision. Bhullar tried to wash his hands of the controversy and cleverly passed on the entire blame on to the two IAS officers for ‘technically flawed’ decision.