New Delhi: Promotion of IAS officers in Andhra Pradesh is going on in Geometric Progression. A tainted bureaucrat has been promoted to the rank of Special Chief Secretary, less than two months after she was elevated to Principal Secretary.
In the latest move the state government promoted 1988 batch officer Y Srilakshmi to the rank of Special Chief Secretary on an ‘ad hoc basis’.
Srilakshmi has been facing criminal proceedings in the Obulapuramu Mining case and spent several months in jail.
Srilakshmi who was earlier in the Telangana cadre was denied promotion there because of this, but after her joining the Andhra cadre late last year on an order of the Central Administrative Tribunal, she was promoted to the rank of Principal Secretary in mid- January this year by YS Jaganmohan Reddy government.
This was reportedly without approval from the Union Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). She will be in service till June 30, 2026.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary had in the
January 18 order specified that Srilakshmis promotion was “subject to the
outcome of all the court cases that are pending against her”. However, the
latest order made no mention of this, except that her promotion was on an ad
hoc basis.
According to the ‘Indian
Administrative Service Promotion
to various grades rules, “Unlike Central Government servants, ad hoc
promotions are not to be allowed in their cases even if the disciplinary
cases/criminal prosecutions instituted against them are found to have been
prolonged. “As appointment of the members of the Indian Administrative
Service to various grades is made on a regular basis and the provision of
one-time confirmation exists in their cases, the concept of grant of ad hoc
promotion is alien to them.
In their cases, only three-monthly review of
their disciplinary/criminal cases is to be undertaken and efforts are to be
made to expedite their completion,” the relevant rule says.
In the Screening Committee meeting last month, to consider
promotion of IAS officers to the Fixed Grade (Special Chief Secretary), the
senior-most member Reddy Subrahmanyam, had objected to the promotion of Srilakshmi.
The pending criminal case apart, Subrahmanyam
contended that she had not put in the requisite five-year service as Principal
Secretary. Subrahmanyam, the 1985-batch IAS officer of AP
cadre, is currently a Secretary to the Government of India,
His objection was not taken note of and he was
called back to the state service.
The Prime Minister’s Office, however, refused to
repatriate the officer. But the state government promoted Srilakshmi, along
with four officers of the 1991 batch.
AP Solar Power Corporation Chairman and Managing
Director G Sai Prasad, Housing Department Principal Secretary Ajay Jain and
Commissioner of Inquiries Ram Prakash Sisodia were promoted to the rank of
Special CS and retained in the same posts.
Sumita Dawra, currently on deputation to the
Centre, has been granted promotion on a proforma basis, according to the Chief
Secretarys order.
