Hours after taking a 'U-turn' by informing the high court that it is withdrawing its notification dissolving all gram panchayats in the state, the Punjab government suspended two senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers on Thursday for a 'technically-flawed' decision.
The government suspended 1994-batch IAS officer Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari, principal secretary, rural development and panchayats, and 2009-batch IAS officer Gurpreet Singh Khaira, director, rural development and panchayats and ex officio special secretary, rural development and panchayats, with immediate effect under the provisions of rule 3(1) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, according to an official order.
The headquarters of these officers during their period of suspension shall be in Chandigarh and they will be entitled to subsistence allowable in accordance with rules.
The order of suspension was issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Verma.
Earlier in the day, the Aam Aadmi Party government informed the Punjab and Haryana high court that it was withdrawing the notification on dissolution of all gram panchayats in the state, which was seen as a major embarrassment for the Bhagwant Mann regime.
Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said the state government has suspended the principal secretary and director of the rural development and panchayats department with immediate effect for taking a 'technically-flawed' decision regarding the dissolution of panchayats.
He said when the decision to dissolve the panchayats came to the notice of Chief Minister Mann, he ordered strict action against the officers of the panchayats department due to technical flaws in the order concerned.
The government has initiated efforts to conduct timely elections for the village panchayats, Bhullar added.
'The process of revising voter lists, demarcation of wards and implementing a 50-per cent reservation for the elections was very long, but due to the floods in the state, the operation was halted as the officers and employees were engaged in relief efforts,' he said in a statement.
The state government is committed to holding panchayat elections in accordance with the schedule, the minister said, adding that to strengthen democracy, Mann has also announced an amount Rs 5 lakh for each village that will unanimously elect the panchayats.
Earlier, the high court was hearing a petition filed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Gurjeet Singh Talwandi, who had challenged the state government's August 10 notification.
Advocate General Vinod Ghai submitted before a bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha that the notification will be withdrawn within two days.
The Punjab government, through its August 10 notification, had dissolved all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads.
According to the notification, the elections of the members of the panchayat samitis and zila parishads were to be held by November 25 and those of the gram panchayats by December 31.
There are 13,241 gram panchayats, 152 block samitis and 22 zila parishads in the state.
The opposition slammed the AAP government over its 'U-turn' in the court.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa asked the Mann government why action was not taken against Bhullar.
'AAP Punjab Govt has suspended two officers from the Panchayat and Rural Development Departments.
'Why has @BhagwantMann not taken any action against the Rural Development Minister? The notification could not have been made without his knowledge, and if it had been made without his knowledge then it shows the incompetence of the minister,' the Congress leader posted on X.
'Laljit Bhullar should have faced the consequences of wasting the precious time of the court and Punjab's taxpayers' money,' he added.
Bharatiya Janata Party's national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the AAP government's decision to withdraw its order on dissolution of panchayats once again demonstrated its 'unconstitutional' functioning.
He accused the Mann government of 'insulting' constitutional offices in Punjab in an 'undemocratic and disgraceful' manner.
Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the chief minister should dismiss the panchayat minister.
'The decision to dissolve the panchayats was a political move of the @AamAadmiParty and CM @BhagwantMann. If anyone is to be held accountable it should be the Rural Development and Panchayats minister@Laljitbhullar. CM shud dismiss him imm. Action can't be taken against senior IAS officers for implementing the political agenda of @AAPPunjab (sic),' Majithia wrote on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said his party has always stood by the people of the state and raised its voice to protect their legitimate rights.
'We raised the issue, held dharnas to press the Punjab government to revoke the unconstitutional decision to dissolve the panchayats. I am glad that today, the Punjab government informed the Punjab and Haryana high court that it had decided to withdraw the decision to dissolve panchayats in the state,' he said.
