With a senior Haryana Police officer alleging an “excess” in the number of ex-cadre posts for IPS officers in the state, the Governor’s Secretariat has asked the state government to place his complaint before Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for appropriate necessary action, The Indian Express has learnt. The police officer had sent his complaint – addressed to the President, with a copy to the Governor – to Director General of Police P K Agrawal on December 19, 2022, requesting him to forward the same to the people concerned through proper channels. Highly placed sources revealed that the secretary to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya recently forwarded the complaint to the CM’s chief principal secretary. In his complaint, the police officer raised questions over the alleged “excess” of ex-cadre posts of IPS officers in Haryana. Ex-cadre posts are temporary posts of the same rank as cadre posts and are created by the state government. According to a police official, the total number of ex-cadre posts cannot be more than 19 for all ranks of IPS officers in Haryana. “There are 79 senior duty posts (cadre posts) of Haryana-cadre IPS officers. The cumulative number of ex-cadre posts (inclusive of all ranks) cannot be more than the state deputation reserve (19), that is, 25 per cent of the 79 senior duty posts of Haryana cadre,” the official explained. According to the state police, however, there are as many as 22 ex-cadre posts only for DGP and ADGP rank in Haryana. Currently, a police officer confirmed, at least 38 IPS officers are posted on ex-cadre posts in ranks ranging from additional district superintendent of police to director general in Haryana. In reference to the ex-cadre posts of IAS officers, the central government in 2015 had made it clear that “there is restriction on the powers of the state government for the creation of such posts and the number of such posts is not to exceed the number shown against deputation reserve in the cadre”. In this regard, the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training) had issued an office memorandum on January 20, 2015. However, a state government official said that the state can create particular posts for a specific period and no rule was violated in the promotions of IPS officers. The Haryana Police had earlier informed the state home department that there are 14 ex-cadre posts against two cadre posts of DGP while there are eight ex-cadre posts against six posts in the rank of ADGP in Haryana. But the police officer, the complainant in the current matter, said these “posts are far above the number of ex-cadre posts allowed in the rank of DGP and ADGP as per the rules of the central government”. Further, in the complaint, he also pointed out that there is no documentary evidence at the office of DGP regarding the creation of these ex-cadre posts. When the officer had sought photocopies regarding the creation of such ex-cadre posts under the RTI Act, police officials had informed him that “the state government had created ex-cadre posts at their own level and such orders are available with the state government”. Referring to this reply, the senior officer has questioned the withdrawal of salaries of certain IPS officers against such posts. However, on its part, the state home department had earlier said that “as per previous practice, any junior officer can draw his salary against any higher sanctioned vacant post.” Critics in the police department have been raising questions over the promotions of a few IPS officers stating the same were done despite “non-availability of sufficient vacancies in the rank of ADGP”. The issue got prominence in 2022 when four IGP-rank officers were promoted to the rank of ADGP in May. With these promotions, the number of police officers occupying the post of ADGP had gone to 17 while only 14 posts of ADGP rank were available in Haryana. As many as six of them are cadre posts, while 11 are ex-cadre posts. On its part, the Haryana Police proposed the conversion of four ex-cadre DGP posts to ADGP to fill the shortfall in the ADGP rank. Explaining the exigency to promote officers in excess to the sanctioned posts, the state home department had earlier justified the promotions of IPS officers in May 2022. “The screening committee after examining the service record of IPS officers of the eligible batch and keeping in view of their length of service and completing all other eligibility criteria for promotion to the next higher post, makes its recommendation to the state government for their promotion to the rank of ADGP. The state government, based on administrative and operational requirements, determines the rank and seniority of the officers to be posted against certain posts,” the home department had stated in August 2022 in a communication to Vidhan Sabha’s Public Accounts Committee. With top officials of the Haryana government examining whether to reopen a file pertaining to the alleged “premature” promotion of six IPS officers in 2018, state Home Minister Anil Vij had asked Additional Chief Secretary (Home) TVSN Prasad to examine the issue. A senior officer from the home department told The Indian Express that discussions have already taken place on the issue. Sources said the state government had earlier also initiated a process to “legally examine” the promotions of IPS officers - from the 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003 and 2004 batches-which had taken place in the past.
