HC sets aside appointment of Punjab chief principal secretary

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today set aside the appointment of retired IAS officer Suresh Kumar as the chief principal secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, the petitioner's counsel said.
Kumar, considered close to Singh, was appointed after the Congress came to power in the state last March.
The post of chief principal secretary was specially created for the retired IAS officer.
"The appointment (of Suresh Kumar) has been set aside by Justice Rajan Gupta of the high court," said advocate H S Brar, counsel for petitioner Ramandeep Singh.
Singh, a Mohali resident, had moved the high court last year, claiming that the appointment of Kumar was against the constitutional scheme and accepted norms.

According to the petitioner, Kumar was given the power of handling the functioning of the office of principal secretary to the chief minister.

"This is a cadre post and this post cannot be given to a non-cadre person," said Brar.
The petition said the tenure of Kumar, who had retired from service, had been made co-terminus with that of the government.
"He has been delegated the powers to oversee functioning of principal secretary to the chief minister which is a cadre post. Thus, a public office, has been usurped by a retired IAS officer. This apart, there is no provision in the rules for bestowing rank of a cabinet secretary on a retired officer," according to the petition.

Kumar, a 1983 batch officer, retired in 2016 as additional chief secretary. He had served at many positions in the state as well as at the Centre on deputation.
Kumar had also served as principal secretary to the chief minister during Amarinder Singh's previous tenure of 2002- 2007.