Heavy agenda awaits SC as it resumes work after winter break
A heavy agenda awaits the Supreme Court as it resumes its working from Tuesday – January 2, 2024 – after two weeks long winter holidays – Christmas and New Year.
With Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann warning Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officers, who were on mass leave to protest the arrest of their colleague in a corruption case, to join duty or face suspension, the PCS Officers’ Association on Wednesday withdrew its protest and decided to resume work immediately.
This was announced jointly by the Association president Rajat Oberoi and Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to the Chief Minister, A Venu Prasad after a six-member delegation of PCS officers reached the CMO for a meeting.
It happened hours after Mann asked the PCS officers to resume work by 2 in the afternoon on Tuesday or face action. Prasad said the anti-corruption drive would continue and the Association had promised that they would not shield the corrupt officers.
Oberoi said they are happy with the assurance given by the Chief Minister that no injustice would be meted out to any person. The government has agreed to make an SIT to decide if the action against PCS officer Narinder Dhaliwal, who was arrested in Ludhiana by the state vigilance bureau for allegedly taking bribes and sent to 14-day judicial remand on Tuesday, was according to procedure.
Dhaliwal, who was posted as regional transport authority in Ludhiana, was arrested on January 6 for allegedly taking bribes from transporters for sparing them challans for offending vehicles.
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But the PCS Officers’ Association claims Dhaliwal was arrested illegally, wrongfully and arbitrarily and without due procedure.
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Another committee to be constituted in the case of registration of a case against an IAS officer. The committee will have officers from both the civil and police sides.
These committees will be set up and announced by the Chief Secretary. The Punjab Revenue Officers Association, has also resumed administrative work.
Earlier in the morning, the CM warned action against the PCS officers over their 5-day mass leave since Monday and said “such a strike amounts to blackmailing and arm-twisting,”.
“It has been brought to my notice that some officers are not attending duty in the garb of some strike. They are protesting against strong action taken by the Government against corrupt officers” Mann said in a tweet.
“Let this be very clear to everyone that this Government has zero tolerance to corruption. Such a strike amounts to blackmailing and arm twisting. It cannot be tolerated by any responsible Government,” he said.
“Therefore, you are hereby directed to declare the strike illegal. Suspend all such officers who do not join by 2 in the afternoon on Tuesday i.e 11.01.2023. Those who do not join by 2 pm, their period of absence should be treated as dies non,” said the CM.
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