HP seeks more time to provide list of 'tainted' officials

The Himachal Pradesh government today sought more time from the High Court to shift 40 "tainted" government functionaries from sensitive posts.
In its affidavit seeking more time, the government said, "The process is on to shift 43 officers of doubtful integrity, posted on sensitive posts to non-sensitive posts."
A division bench consisting of Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice DC Chaudhary listed the case for December 2.
Earlier, a division bench of Chief Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice Kuldip Singh had directed the Chief Secretary to file an affidavit listing the names of "tainted" officials and their postings.
Expressing displeasure over the inaction of the concerned departments' secretaries in not furnishing information to the Chief Secretary that whether the posting of "tainted" officers on sensitive posts was with concurrence and approval of the highest authority, the bench had directed the secretaries to furnish the information by today.

The High Court order came in the wake of the plea of former drug controller Sher Singh Thakur, who was convicted in June 2011 for corruption and had sought quashing of departmental proceedings against him.
However, the court later widened its scope to address the basic issue of "tainted" officers holding sensitive posts.