PANJIM: Following the High Court
order quashing the seniority list of Grade I officers of the Goa Civil
Services, the fate of officer Arun Desai, hangs in balance. In a major setback
to the State government, the High Court of Bombay at Goa last week quashed and
set aside a controversial Goa civil
service seniority list released by the government in 2015.
Separate petitions were filed by
senior officials – Inspector General of Prisons Elvis Gomes, officer without
posting Melvyn Vaz, as he is under suspension for over eight months
for alleged involvement in the assault of jail inmates of central
jail, Colvale, South Goa collector Swapnil Naik and Excise Commissioner Menino
D’Souza, challenging the 2015 seniority list. The High Court then tagged all
four petitions together.
In accordance with the seniority
list of the government, Goa Civil Service officers Sandip Jacques and Arun
Dessai have already been inducted into the Indian administrative service (IAS).
Dessai and Jacques have been posted in Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar,
respectively.
Desai could be in trouble
In the earlier seniority list,
ranking of petitioners – Gomes and Naik – was above that of Jacques and Dessai.
While it does not make much of a
difference to Naik and Jacques who have been elevated to IAS it does affect
former Transport Director Desai, who was placed at number two in the government
seniority list, which has been quashed.
When contacted Additional
Secretary Personnel Yatindra Maralkar told Herald that they have not yet
received a copy of the order. “We haven’t got the order copy yet and hence
can’t comment on it,” he said.
However, another official,
speaking on condition of anonymity said, “The officers (Desai and others) have
an option of challenging the HC order in the Supreme Court within a particular
time frame.”
However, he added, if they do not
do so or the SC upholds the HC order, Desai’s promotion will have to be
quashed. “A review DPC will be held and the UPSC will be informed accordingly,”
the officer stated.
Govt not to challenge order
The government has decided not to
challenge the high court order that quashed and set aside the controversial seniority
list. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said,
“We will examine the court order and then implement it. So far we haven’t
received the order.” Government sources said that if the order remains
unchallenged, then the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will have to be
informed about the court decision and subsequently the seniority list will be
revised by UPSC.
