In a major blow to five IAS officers, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has rejected their petition seeking to cancel orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). CAT ruled that the officers must comply with the DoPT’s orders and report to their designated locations as scheduled. The tribunal also questioned the officers’ intentions, asking whether they didn’t feel the need to serve the people affected by floods in Andhra Pradesh.
CAT further interrogated whether the guidelines allowed for officer swapping based on regional preferences, reminding the petitioners that DoPT has the authority to allocate IAS officers. Additionally, CAT questioned why the officers did not approach the High Court when the recommendations by the One-Man Committee were made. CAT concluded that the decision was taken in the interest of public welfare.
Among the petitioners were Ronald Ross, Secretary of TG Energy Department, Vani Prasad, Secretary of TG Tourism, Vakati Karuna, Secretary of TG Women and Child Welfare, Amrapali, GHMC Commissioner, and Srujana, Collector of AP NTR District.
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