1 week Ago By Express News Service
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday dismissed all seven writ petitions filed by All India Service (AIS) officers and directed them to report to their respective state cadres by the end of the day in compliance with the orders of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). A bench of Justice Abhinandan Kumar Shavili and Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty was hearing the writ petitions challenging the DoPT directive, which ordered their reassignment to their originally allotted state cadres. AIS officers Ronald Rose (Secretary, Energy Department, Telangana), Vani Prasad (Secretary, Youth Affairs, Tourism, Culture, and Sports Department, Telangana), Amrapali Kata (Commissioner, GHMC) and Vakati Karuna (Secretary, Women and Child Welfare Department, Telangana) were originally allocated to Andhra Pradesh but were working in Telangana.
Likewise, Hari Kiran, Gummala Srijana and Siva Sankar Lotheti, who were originally allotted to Telangana, were serving in Andhra Pradesh. They were ordered to join their respective state cadres by October 16. These officers had moved the high court seeking suspension of the DoPT’s directive until November 4, 2024, when their case would be heard by the Central Administrative Tribunal in Hyderabad.
However, the bench rejected their pleas, stating that the court could not interfere in the administration of the states by halting the DoPT’s order. Justice Shavili, during the hearing, stressed the role of AIS officers as bureaucrats who must serve wherever they are posted. Justice Abhinandan Kumar Shavili said that their allotment was the responsibility of the Union of India, not the courts.
“Courts cannot entertain such pleas. Let them first go and report to their respective states,” the judge said. Senior counsels appearing for the officers, including Laxmi Narayana and Vidya Sagar, argued that the CAT had adjourned the officers’ applications to November 4, and that the DoPT was yet to provide the report of the single-member committee led by former DoPT secretary Deepak Khandekar.
The petitioners requested the high court to direct the DoPT not to disturb them from their current postings until that date. However, the high court declined this request, asserting that any stay would lead to an “endless” legal process. Senior counsels also argued that the officers had served in their current states for more than 10 years and that their services were critical for the respective state governments.
They added that relocating the officers would cause personal and familial disruptions. These arguments too were dismissed by the court, which reiterated that the officers must abide by the DoPT’s orders. The bench also rejected the contention that the DoPT had failed to provide the officers with a personal hearing, despite a previous high court directive.
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