Himachal Pradesh govt puts lid on HPPSC row, appoints IG Rameshwar Thakur as chairperson

Hailing from Shimla’s Lohali, Thakur had served in Special Protection Group (SPG) for nearly a decade — 2001 to 2010. Prior to joining the Himachal Pradesh Police Service in 1994, Thakur had joined the Indian Army, after being selected to the short service commission, and was commissioned into the Infantry Battalion where he served from 1986 till 1991, taking part in several anti-militancy operations in Kashmir.

Earlier, in a notification issued on August 17, the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government had appointed Rachna Gupta as HPPSC chairperson, with IAS officer Rakesh Sharma, Col Rajesh Kumar Sharma (retd), and Om Prakash Sharma as members. In the fresh notification, Om Prakash Sharma has been replaced by Prof Nain Singh.

The government has issued no clarification on why Gupta, who was elevated from member to chairperson, and Om Prakash Sharma have been replaced. The tenure of Gupta, a former journalist, as an HPPSC member was due to end in January next year.

Minutes before Gupta was to take oath as the HPPSC head on August 18, the ceremony was cancelled, drawing sharp criticism from the Opposition with Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha Mukesh Agnihotri demanding an explanation from Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. While sources said that Gupta had declined accepting the post due to personal reasons, the government maintained silence on the issue. The row had also sent ripples through the state BJP amid a widespread perception in its ranks that the event was scrapped following the intervention of the party’s central leadership. The episode was seen as the party leadership’s snub to Thakur ahead of the year-end Assembly polls.

The HPPSC (Members) Regulations, 1971 was notified by the Governor on April 8, 1971, under the provisions of Article 318 of the Constitution. As per these regulations, the Commission will comprise of a chairperson and two members to be appointed by the Governor. Following an amendment, the number of its members was increased to three.

The HPPSC is mandated to advise the state government on all matters relating to the framing of the recruitment and promotion rules, principles to be followed in making appointments, promotion and transfer from one service to another, and in respect of disciplinary matters involving civil servants. Currently, the direct recruitment of the Class-I and Class-II posts of different departments is carried out by the HPPSC.