CAT seeks Centre’s stand on order

CHANDIGARH, Dec 16: The Central Administrative Tribunal today directed the Union of India's counsel to state whether they were aware of a...

CHANDIGARH, Dec 16: The Central Administrative Tribunal today directed the Union of India’s counsel to state whether they were aware of a recent notification allowing extension in service when the civil writ challenging the Punjab Director General of Police P.C. Dogra’s extension was taken up by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Tribunal also directed the senior standing counsel to furnish an affidavit within four days, with an advance copy to the opposite counsel.The opposite counsel, the bench directed, may file a counter reply within two days. The case will now come up for hearing on January 4.

The matter was taken up today on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Setting aside the orders passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal, the High Court had earlier remanded the case back to the Tribunal for "passing appropriate orders after hearing the parties".

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In their petition, Additional Director General of Police Jarnail Singh Chahal, ADGP Sarabjit Singh and ADGP Mehal Singh Bhullar had stated that extension in service granted to Dogra was "contrary to law and could not be sustained".

Today, the senior standing counsel for the Union of India stated that a new situation had arisen. A fresh notification, he claimed, had been issued on December 7 by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and the Pensions Department of Personnel and Training.

The rule states: "Provided also the member of the service who has attained the age of 58 years on or before the 1st day of May, 1998 and on extension in service shall retire from service on the expiry of his extended period of service or on the expiry of any further extension granted by the Central government in public interest and that no such extension in service shall be granted beyond the age of 60 years."