gfiles magazine

June 12, 2017

In Gupta’s defence


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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