JS body finds PM's adviser responsible for law ministry woes
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has found that the Law Ministry could not appoint a secretary due to intervention of an adviser to the Prime Minister, reports bdnews24.com.
Members of the Committee at a meeting Sunday also observed that the ministry could not take any policy decisions between December 17 and January 31, as there was no secretary.
Neither the chairman nor the Standing Committee members disclosed the issues discussed at Sunday's meeting to the press.
Standing Committee Chairman Suranjit Sengupta told the news agency Monday, however, that the adviser's intervention in the ministry had "surprised" him.
"The Law Ministry was run without a secretary, who is also the principal accounting officer, for one month and 14 days. No one acted as secretary in-charge, meaning that the ministry could do nothing since December 17," Mr Sengupta told the news agency.
He said the Law Ministry officials had informed him that it took measures to appoint an interim secretary, but could not do so due to the establishment ministry's inaction.
"When I pressed the establishment ministry's additional secretary, he confided that an adviser had ordered them not to appoint a law secretary," said the committee chairman.
"The whole committee was surprised at this discovery."
The Standing Comm-ittee summoned the establishment secretary, as the ministry is in charge of all appointments, to ascertain causes behind the delay in appointing a law secretary.
An additional secretary turned up in the absence of the secretary.
Mr Sengupta said that the committee recommended that the government should appoint a law secretary on the basis of seniority and service rules in line with the court's judgment.
Ministry officials attending the meeting said the Supreme Court had given the directive for appointment of a law secretary Sunday.
This is second time the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law Ministry came up with the allegation of an adviser's meddling since August 2009.
Members of the Committee at a meeting Sunday also observed that the ministry could not take any policy decisions between December 17 and January 31, as there was no secretary.
Neither the chairman nor the Standing Committee members disclosed the issues discussed at Sunday's meeting to the press.
Standing Committee Chairman Suranjit Sengupta told the news agency Monday, however, that the adviser's intervention in the ministry had "surprised" him.
"The Law Ministry was run without a secretary, who is also the principal accounting officer, for one month and 14 days. No one acted as secretary in-charge, meaning that the ministry could do nothing since December 17," Mr Sengupta told the news agency.
He said the Law Ministry officials had informed him that it took measures to appoint an interim secretary, but could not do so due to the establishment ministry's inaction.
"When I pressed the establishment ministry's additional secretary, he confided that an adviser had ordered them not to appoint a law secretary," said the committee chairman.
"The whole committee was surprised at this discovery."
The Standing Comm-ittee summoned the establishment secretary, as the ministry is in charge of all appointments, to ascertain causes behind the delay in appointing a law secretary.
An additional secretary turned up in the absence of the secretary.
Mr Sengupta said that the committee recommended that the government should appoint a law secretary on the basis of seniority and service rules in line with the court's judgment.
Ministry officials attending the meeting said the Supreme Court had given the directive for appointment of a law secretary Sunday.
This is second time the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law Ministry came up with the allegation of an adviser's meddling since August 2009.