Patna HC stays suspension of PMC Commissioner

The Patna High Court today stayed the suspension of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner by the government.
A division bench of justices V N Sinha and Prabhat Kumar Jha ordering the stay on PMC Commissioner Kuldip Narayan's suspension and asked the state government to submit the original file relating to proceedings against him tomorrow when it would again hear the matter.
The bench observed that the state government's decision to suspend the commissioner appears to be "in teeth of the High Court order of July 2013 not to transfer the PMC Commissioner without its consent."
Even Supreme Court had upheld the HC order on the matter, the bench said in a verbal observation.

After getting Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's nod, the state government through a notification on Friday night had suspended Narayan on the charge of inefficiency.
The Urban development department had sent a recommendation to Manjhi against the PMC commissioner after finding his replies on six counts, including failure to keep the city clean and lack of steps to prevent outbreak of dengue in the capital inadequate.

PMC advocate H S Himkar told the court that the commissioner had been suspended apparently for initiating action against illegal constructions in the city.
Principal Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore told the court that earlier in the day he had told the court of Acting Chief Justice of Patna High Court Iqbal Ahmad Ansari regarding suspension of the commissioner and appointment of next man in PMC Kapil Ashok as in-charge of commissioner's post.

Suspension of the PMC Commissioner has been strongly resented by the IAS Association. A delegation of the association had met the chief minister and Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh demanding that it be withdrawn.