Tainted JPSC recruits face music

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi | Thursday, July 15, 2010

If there can be an apt phrase for 19 officials, who joined State bureaucracy through the second Civil Service recruitment by the JPSC, it could be 'caught between devil and deep sea.'

After Governor MOH Farook's order for inquiry into the conduction of the second JPSC examination held on June 9, these 19 officials --- accused of using unfair means --- were not given the usual official assignments and were attached with the Personnel Department.

Soon after, the State Vigilance named them in the FIR and obtained non-bailable warrant against them. While Personnel Department asked them to report immediately, vigilance sleuths are either looking for tainted officials' whereabouts or lurking outside the Personnel Department with a warrant copy to arrest them.

“One joined a few days back,” said Aditya Swaroop, secretary of the department. But others preferred not to venture around the Personnel Department.

On one hand the department has sought explanation from the new recruits as to why their service should be terminated, on other hand vigilance department has intensified hunt to catch them.

Most of the recruits have reported that they are sick. And in the meantime they are seeking legal opinion to save their skins.

“Sir as I am suffering from jaundice I am unable to join,” writes one official. Another reported to be bedridden after prolonged malaria even after he did not serve in malaria-hit zone of Jharkhand. Doctors well aware of the JPSC scam are very careful in diagnosing their patients.

Personnel Department secretary Swaroop offered a sample of the sick leave application. Sources said a few applications tagged with medical report are so bogus that even a first-year MBBS student will doubt their authenticity.

Prashant Kumar Layak, Radha Prem Kishore, Vinod Ram, Mukesh Kumar (DSP). Kundan Kumar Singh, Rajnish Kumar, Moushmi Nagesh, Sangita Kumari, Harishankar Barik, Kumar Kujur, Shivendra, Kanu Ram Nag, Prakash Kumar, Santosh Kumar Chaudhary, Kumari Gitanjali, Lal Manoj Nath Sahdeo and Hari Oraon are the officials who running from the pillar to the post to evade departmental proceedings and legal action against them.

“How can one join when vigilance is ready with the noose?” Another relative of one such official said. “Once arrested, you cannot do anything for them…till they are out there is hope.”

But the department does not share their concern. “They have been asked to join, it is purely an administrative matter. They have been facing arrest warrant, that is a legal process. Do not mix both. They have been withdrawn from the field service and have been attached with the Personnel department. Do you expect us to go to them to physically complete the process? Do you think we should wait till they are arrested and we visit them in jail to complete the process of their joining to the department?” Swaroop questioned.

He offered no timeline till the department can wait for their joining, just dropping a broad hint: “There is always continuity in the Government job. Must report to the concern department once you are transferred or called back to the parent organisation whatsoever the case is.”

He said legal opinions are being taken from the Law Department for possible actions after the scam report.

“It is a multi-cornered trial…media trial, court trial, vigilance trial and personnel's trial,” said one cursing the Home department for adding the last one. They claimed that Governor in his order did not mention the prosecution of these officials. “And so was Chief Secretary AK Singh in his report sent to the Governor.”

“It was Home Department that ordered to lodge an FIR against them along with former Chairman and members of the JPSC,” said one of them.