IPS officer gets two years’ study leave

A 1992-batch IPS officer,Thakur had appeared for CAT in 2008. He was selected for a four-year course of Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) at IIM-L on April 24,2008 and asked to join on June 12. Since he had to seek permission for a leave to pursue the course and the procedure was likely to take some time,Thakur requested the IIM authorities for an extension.

Thakur’s wife Nutan said,“He had dispatched three letters to the Principal Secretary (Home) and the DGP,seeking permission for study or extraordinary leave. The letters were sent on April 30 and August 28 in 2008 and on March 25,this year.” Since Thakur did not receive any response,he moved the Lucknow Bench of Central Administrative Tribunal on April 7. The tribunal ordered the state government to decide his pending leave application within two weeks. Thakur,however,had to file a contempt petition with the tribunal and move the High Court simultaneously against the government for not adhering to the tribunal order. Principal Secretary (Home) Fateh Bahadur,finally,issued a letter on May 22 to Thakur,intimating him about the rejection of his application.

Bahadur said Thakur had not sought permission from his immediate senior officer before opting for the course. He added that there was a deficiency of IPS officers of SP rank in the state and that he may only get leave for a year. Thakur challenged the order. The tribunal then asked him to make a fresh representation before the state government through the Principal Secretary (Home) along with certain conditions and ordered the government to decide this representation within three days. It was then that the government sanctioned him a two-year leave.