CAT issues notice to govt on chief secretary choice

A day after additional chief secretary Dilip Rau filed a petition before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging the Karnataka governor's decision to appoint Sudhakar Rao as the state's chief secretary, the CAT has issued a show cause notice seeking explanation.

Rau, who is also the chairman of the Bangalore Development Authority, in his petition, sought a direction for quashing the February 6 order (appointment of Rao) issued by the government terming it "void, illegal, arbitrary, capricious and discriminatory".

A 1972 batch IAS officer and senior to Sudhakar Rao, Dilip Rau was among the strong contenders for the top executive post in the state.

The CAT has given three weeks to the government to respond to the notice. The next hearing is scheduled for March 6, 2008.

The appointment of Sudhakar Rao has created unrest among bureaucrats in the state. There are indications that the governor might again overlook seniority while replacing the existing state Director General of Police (DGP) K R Srinivasan.

The next in line (seniority wise), R Srikumar, who currently is the chairman and the managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation, has taken steps to preempt any move to supersede him while appointing the new DGP.

He gave a presentation to the government drawing the attention of the authorities concerned towards his merit and seniority.