Daily Pioneer: New Delhi: Monday, July 17, 2017.
The Centre
has clarified that there is no ban on IAS or IPS officers from filing Public
Interest Litigation (PIL) in the court.
According to
a RTI information by Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT), Government of
India has revealed that there is no provision in the All India Services
(Conduct) rules 1968 that prohibits an IAS or IPS officer from filing PIL
before the Court.
In a PIL
filed by UP cadre IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, Allahabad High Court had directed
to formulate policy as regards government servants filing PILs. Amitabh Thakur
had sought information from the DOPT about the compliance of the High Court
order.
The IPS
officer in a statement said here on Sunday that the DOPT note sheet clearly
states that there is no restriction to file PIL. It also mentions the case of V
S Pandey where the Supreme Court has upheld the right of public servants to
file PILs.
Yet, in order
to have a balance between right to judicial remedy and its adverse effect on
public service, DOPT is thinking of a policy of public servants taking
permission to file PILs, while also worrying on why an affected authority grant
permission against itself.
Meanwhile in
another RTI revelation, Air India, whose proposed privatization is in news
recently, does not have any information in this regards.
RTI activist
Dr Nutan Thakur had requested Air India to provide the documents related with
its proposed disinvestment, including those exchanged between Air India and different
offices.
S K Bajaj,
AGM (OA), Air India told through his letter dated July 11 last said that Air
India has not made any communication to any other officers nor has it received
any communication from any of the departments in respect of the proposed
disinvestment of Air India. Hence, it has no information to provide in this
regards.
As per Nutan
Thakur in a statement here, it is truly strange that the Company whose
privatization is being planned, seems to be out of the loop in the process.
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