AP High Court seeks policy of state for deputation of All India Officers

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,Dec. 17: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the state government to place before the court the policy adopted to take deputation of All India Service Officers working in other states into the state service.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anil R. Dave and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy was hearing a petition filed by an advocate Mr K, Muralikrishna who questioned the policy of deputations being pursued both by the Centre and the state governments.
The judges wondered as to how the state government had allowed Mr Brahmananda Reddy who is an IRTS officer to occupy the position of managing director of AP Aviation Corporation.
The judges referring to the chopper crash that killed Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, said: “It is this careless attitude that cost the state dearly and killed an important leader. Had there been an aviation expert in place of Brahmanada Reddy at the relevant time, this mishap would not have taken place.” The petitioner questioned the deputations of Mr K. Brahmananda Reddy, an IRTS officer, Ms K. Ratnaprabha, a Karnataka cadre IAS officer currently working in Andhra Pradesh as the principal secretary of the transport department, Mr M.G.V.K. Bhanu, an Assam cadre IAS officer who till recently worked in the Chief Minister’s Office and Mr A.V. Dharma Reddy, an IDES officer who is currently working with TTD and several others.
The government pleader while making his submission regarding the inter cadre deputation of Ms K. Ratnaprabha, told the court that though the Centre had rejected her application for an extension of deputation, she is continuing on the basis of an order of a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). Mr S.R. Sunku, counsel for the petitioner told the court that the state is acting in an erratic manner while dealing with the deputations and allowing unconnected persons in important positions.
The judges said: “Place before us the policy you have in this regard. You can consider the requests of the officers if their purpose is to keep them closer to their wives and children. But the departments should not suffer.”
The government pleader told the court that as such there was no policy for the deputations. He said that he will explain their policy regarding IRTS and other Central services.
He submitted that regarding IAS and IPS cases, it is the Centre which has to explain its policy on inter cadre deputations. The bench asked all the concerned to file their affidavits in this matter within four weeks.