More than four years after the appointment of retired IAS officer Suresh Kumar as the Chief Principal Secretary (CPS) to Punjab's then Chief Minister, the Punjab and Haryana High Court's Division Bench reversed its decision after concluding that there had been no violation of "any statutory rules."
The Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Ashok Kumar Verma declared that a new Chief Minister would unavoidably require assistance in carrying out his responsibilities upon taking office and overturned the impugned judgment.
To achieve the commitments made in the manifesto, Comprehensive planning and regular monitoring were required at the level of the CM's office. For this, the then-Chief Minister decided to hire Kumar, who had expertise working in numerous departments. He had previously served as the Principal Secretary in the CM's office.
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The Bench said, "We do not see any undue haste in the appointment. The appointment being purely contractual in nature and there being no violation of any statutory rules especially when he has not been appointed against any cadre/ex-cadre/temporary post of IAS."
The Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Ashok Kumar Verma declared that a new Chief Minister would unavoidably require assistance in carrying out his responsibilities upon taking office and overturned the impugned judgment.
To achieve the commitments made in the manifesto, Comprehensive planning and regular monitoring were required at the level of the CM's office. For this, the then-Chief Minister decided to hire Kumar, who had expertise working in numerous departments. He had previously served as the Principal Secretary in the CM's office.
Also read: Exclusive: Nephew of Bhagat Singh asks three big questions to Simranjit Singh Mann in response to his terrorist remark
The Bench said, "We do not see any undue haste in the appointment. The appointment being purely contractual in nature and there being no violation of any statutory rules especially when he has not been appointed against any cadre/ex-cadre/temporary post of IAS."