(Our Special Correspondent)
Hyderabad: In a surprise move, the state government on Wednesday relieved Chief Secretary Somesh of his duties in the wake of the state High Court’s decision. The state government seems to have decided on a communiqué it received from the Under Secretary to the Government of India, Anshuman Mishra. In his letter to the state, Chief Secretary referred to the High Court verdict. Many thought that Somesh Kumar happens to be KCR’s most trusted officer and may challenge the HC verdict in the apex court, yet the latter who is said to be retiring this year decided to quit gracefully.
The Telangana High Court on Tuesday quashed the order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Hyderabad, staying the allotment of senior IAS officer and state Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to Andhra Pradesh cadre. The state government has also issued a relieving order to Somesh Kumar today. In all probability, the Spl Chief Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao is likely to succeed, though there are few others making rounds in bureaucratic circles. Rao belongs to 1991 cadre.
The High Court, which had earlier reserved its verdict in July 2022 after the Union government challenged the CAT order allowing Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to continue in Telangana, yesterday set aside and quashed the tribunal’s order.
After the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh into separate states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Union government reallotted IAS and IPS officers. Kumar was allocated to the Andhra Pradesh cadre by the Pratyush Sinha Committee which oversaw the division of bureaucrats between the two states in 2014 when united Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated. Kumar, however, had challenged the same in CAT, which had quashed the allotment order and allowed him to continue in Telangana.
The Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on cadre allotment, subsequently challenged the CAT order quashing the guidelines it framed for the division of All India Services (AIS) officers between the two Telugu-speaking states. Meanwhile, it is gathered that a few other IAS officers who stayed back defying earlier DoPT orders are also expected to be relieved after the High Court verdict.
Incidentally, many in the bureaucracy were silently sulking for KCR opting to promote and encourage Biharis in the administration and they cite the recent appointment of the DGP, overlooking a local,competent and upright officer. Meanwhile, some retired officers expressed their displeasure over the KCR government overlooking the seniority of some seasoned women officers. According to them, Vasudha Mishra of the 1987 batch is the senior most and her superannuation is next month. After she is Rani Kukudini of the 1988 batch, who may be retiring in July this year. And, the third senior-most women officer is Shanti Kummari of the 1989 batch, who has served up to April 2025. Interestingly, Shanti Kumari has also worked as the CMO as Spl Secretary. Why then KCR government opts to overlook these genuinely deserving women officers? Should one construe that KCR is anti-women? They also blame him for overlooking more than a dozen senior Officers to make Somesh Kumar the Chief Secretary, which was never heard of in state history.
“Nowhere in the country such injustice is being meted out to the women IAS officers as in the case of the TRS government in the state of Telangana,” the former senior bureaucrat lamented on the condition of anonymity. He feels, KCR is doing a greater injustice to women by overlooking Shanti Kumari’s seniority, which is unpardonable.
