CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to former Additional Chief Secretary, Home Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi (Retd) and Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta for violation of court orders of November 2, 2018 related to seniority list of PPS officers.
Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued orders to Punjab Government to upload the final seniority list for promotion of PPS officers to IPS and their retirement dates on or before March 8, 2020.
The PPS officers Gurdial Singh and others had moved the High Court through their counsel Sartej Singh Narula seeking revival of contempt petition after the respondents Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi (Retd IAS) and DGP Dinkar Gupta have failed to upload the final seniority list on website within three months time. Justice Suvir Sehgal who heard the petition has issued notice for June 12, 2020. Kalsi is at present Chairman of Police Complaints Authority in Punjab.
Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi former IAS officer had given an undertaking in the High Court to update the final seniority list within three months i.e before March 8, 2020. The High Court had then dismissed the contempt petition giving liberty to petitioners to seek revival of the contempt proceedings if state government failed to fulfill the commitment given before court.
Sartej Singh Narula has told the court that it was a blatant violation of the directions of the court. He informed the court that respondents and state were manipulating and delaying publication of final list of seniority of PPS officers to give benefit to select police officers.
Punjab Government in the meanwhile has promoted H.S. Bhullar to senior scale though he was much lower in the seniority to other Punjab Police Officers who have challenged the provisional seniority lists in the High Court.
Punjab Government had published first seniority list of PPS officers promoted before 4.5.1994 on 19.12.2011 and published second list on 29.1.2013 for police officers approved/promoted after 4.5.1994. Both these lists were challenged by Gurdial Singh and others wide CWP 6801 of 2013. The High Court on November 2, 2019 had quashed both these lists and ordered to prepare the final seniority list under terms fixed by the court.