IAS Faesal questions disciplinary action; says service rules with colonial spirit invoked to stifle freedom of conscience

IAS officer Shah Faesal, who is facing disciplinary proceedings over his "rapistan" tweet, today questioned the action asking if government employees were expected to completely detach themselves from moral questions of the society as anything could be interpreted as criticism.

Faesal, a 2010-batch IAS officer currently pursuing a mid-career masters programme in the US, also said that service rules with a "colonial spirit" were invoked in a democratic India to "stifle the freedom of conscience".

"The larger question here is that can government employees be asked to detach themselves completely from the moral questions of the society and keep quiet just because anything and everything can be read as criticism of government policy?" Faesal said responding to tweets about disciplinary action initiated against him.

Earlier, disciplinary action was initiated against Faesal over one of his tweets on the incidence of rape.

In a notice to Faesal, the General Administration Department said, "You have allegedly failed to maintain absolute honesty and integrity in the discharge of official duty and thus acted in a manner unbecoming of a public servant."