Admitting that different yardsticks were adopted for promoting IPS officers over past several years, the Haryana government has finally initiated a process to fix the alleged “discrimination”.
It has been learnt that a file has been moved by the officials of home department explaining how different yardsticks were adopted to give promotions to the IPS officers. It has been noted in a proposal that “while promoting the IPS officers in the various ranks, admittedly different methods or yardsticks were adopted that is in certain cases the promotions were granted “with immediate effect” and in other cases “with effect from January1” of the respective year. It has been further proposed that the “above discrimination is required to be removed in order to apply uniform criteria for grant of promotion to the IPS officers”.
At their level, the officials have proposed two options to fix the alleged “discrimination”. In first option, it has been proposed that “the availability of the promotional posts in various ranks as on January 1 of the respective year may be got verified and if the posts in the promotional ranks are available, the promotions can be given with effect from January 1 of the respective year with notional benefits to all the officers. In case, on verification, the posts are not found available, the promotions shall remain effective from the dates as mentioned in their promotion orders.”
In the second option, it has been suggested that the cases of promotions that took place in the past may not be opened. And “as a future course of action, a uniform criteria” may be applied and promotions to IPS officers may be granted “with effect from January 1 of the respective year in case posts are available on said date” and “in case posts are not available as on January 1 of respective year, then from the date of availability of posts”.
The officials have also pointed out that the promotions of the IPS officers in the various ranks/ pay matrix are made as per the provisions of IPS Pay Rules, 2016. As per these rules, appointment of a member of service in the level of selection grade and above shall be subject to availability of vacancies in these grades. While referring to the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home (MHA) issued in 1999, the officials further mentioned that promotion to senior time scale and selection grade will be available from or after January 1 of the relevant year subject to the availability of vacancies in this grade. The officials have clarified that no such condition is mentioned in respect of promotions to super time scale and above super time scale posts. They concluded: “The availability of posts is the main criteria for grant of benefit of promotion to the IPS officers.”
After discussing the matter, the senior officers of the home department have proposed to request the DGP to verify the availability of promotional posts in the various ranks – during 2015 to 2022 — as on January 1 of the respective year before further proceeding in the matter.
Sources say several IPS officers have been promoted with effect from “retrospective effect” (from January 1 of the respective year) even if the orders of promotions were issued after passing of some months. But more than them are those IPS officers who were promoted with immediate effect which means their promotion will be counted from the date when the promotion orders were issued. As the alleged “discrimination” caused a heartburn among a few IPS officers, there have been voices to fix the same as they also want retrospective effect to their promotions.
For example, nearly three months back, a DIG rank officer Hamid Akhtar had also urged the authorities to modify his promotion order to give it effect nearly six months prior to the order’s issuance date. A 2008 batch IPS officer Hamid Akhtar was promoted to the rank of DIG with effect from May 25 this year. However, according to Akhtar, he should have been promoted to the post with effect from January 1 this year. That day, “he completed 14 years in service and was eligible for the promotion”. Apart from this, “the vacancies in the rank of DIG were also available at that time”.
Hamid Akhtar’s case seems similar to that of those IPS officers who were promoted in 2015, 2017 and 2018 with “immediate effect” while promotions of several other officers were done with “retrospective effect”. The officers who were promoted with “immediate effect” have been insisting that they too should have been promoted with “retrospective effect” so that they also get benefits of seniority and perks like others.
According to sources, Hamid Akhtar had pointed out that in view of the implementation of the 7th pay commission recommendations, “he would be deprived of substantive difference in pay, in case he is not given promotion with effect from January 1”. The IPS officer had also pointed out that the government has given promotions to IAS officers regularly from January 1 every year. He had termed it a “good practice”.
