There is widespread anguish among serving and
retired civil servants on the issue of a two-year jail term for retired coal
secretary HC Gupta along with two serving IAS officers-KS Kropha, 1982 batch
IAS and former joint secretary in coal ministry and current Meghalaya chief
secretary, and KC Samria, 1993 batch IAS and the then director in coal
ministry-in coal block allocation case during the UPA regime. Not only the IAS
Association but most of the senior secretaries are analysing the impact on the
day-to-day working within the government. Anil Swarup, a 1981-batch IAS officer
of the UP cadre and Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy,
has expressed his opinion on social networking sites. Mr. Swarup raised a
fundamental issue of governance, “The interpretation of the system of working
of committees as apparently interpreted in this case, implying that Chairman is
personally responsible for all aspects of the functioning of a committee as
also it’s decisions, will strike at the root of the system of governance in
this country, starting from the functioning of the Committee of Secretaries
downward.” Swarup further defended, “Shri Gupta’s integrity, competence and
sense of what is right, combined with his innate morality, modesty and
generosity, have made him a role model for many a public servant. This is the
reason for the widespread sense of disbelief that a person like him could be
placed in a position, which has driven him to take this extreme step of opting
to go to jail.” Some IAS officers said publicly, if Gupta could go to jail, “then
most of us should be behind bars”. Further, former Chief Election Commissioner
and Gupta’s batchmate Dr SY Quraishi tweeted: “HC Gupta is one of the most
honest officers who lived like a sadhu. Pained to see how he is being treated.”
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