UP proposes change in rules for transfers, postings of babus

The Uttar Pradesh government has proposed changes in rules that govern the transfer of a bureaucrat before completion of the two-year minimum tenure in a particular posting.
As per the rules, the Centre or the state government may transfer an IAS, IPS and IFoS officer before the minimum specified period on the recommendation of Civil Services Board.
While the rules say that "the competent authority may reject the recommendation of the Civil Services Board by recording the reasons thereof", UP government has proposed to amend this to add that "the competent authority may amend, modify or reject" the recommendations of the Board.

It has also suggested that a provision be incorporated in the rules to say that "information from the relevant sources" may be obtained from the board for transferring an officer before completion of the specified tenure.
The amendments in Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) cadre rules, 1954, notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in January last year, provides two years' tenure in each posting.
However, the transfer and postings before two years can be done by a Civil Services Board to be constituted by states under the new rules. The move has come following a direction from Supreme Court in this regard.

Many bureaucrats have been demanding ways to check arbitrary transfers, suspensions and postings of their colleagues by state governments. Cases of suspension and frequent transfers of IAS officers Durga Sakthi Nagpal (in Uttar Pradesh) and Ashok Khemka (in Haryana) have been the basis of their demand.