Chandigarh: On 24 March this 12 months, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, a 2001-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, was eliminated because the state’s house secretary by the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP authorities. Greater than eight months later, he stays with out a posting.

Many within the state paperwork have solely guesswork to supply on why he was eliminated. And whereas there are a number of theories abound amongst senior officers, most agree it had one thing to do with him having refused to signal a file as secretary of mining, a cost he held together with that of the house division, thus being purportedly “punished” for one thing that the political powers governing Punjab—a mixture of Mann and senior AAP leaders, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia—didn’t like.

Gurkirat Kirpal declined a request from ThePrint to speak about his uncommon “achievement” of being paid for no work for over eight months by the Mann authorities. However he’s no exception.

Kanwal Preet Brar, a 2007-batch IAS officer, has been awaiting a posting since 24 February, after she was eliminated because the managing director of the Punjab State Warehousing Company. When contacted, she too refused to speak to ThePrint about what might have been the explanation behind her paid sabbatical.

Puneet Goyal, a 2011-batch IAS officer has been with out a posting since 25 February, after being eliminated because the director of meals and civil provides division.

Although these three officers’ circumstances are among the many most startling ones as a result of period of time they’ve spent with out postings, it has been frequent in Punjab for the AAP authorities to take pleasure in “chilly wars” with officers.

Since AAP got here to energy within the state in March 2022, dozens of senior IAS officers have been saved with out work for months, for causes which have by no means been clearly spelt out, however should do with them having upset Mann or the occasion’s leaders in Delhi. The “punishment”, sources say, is condoned solely after the officer provides an unconditional apology, which is feasible after she or he is granted an viewers with the management.

ThePrint tried to hunt the federal government’s model by way of Chief Secretary Ok.A.P. Sinha by means of cellphone calls and messages, and from AAP spokespersons Malvinder Singh Kang and Neel Garg. Nonetheless, there was no response.

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Lengthy record

Ajoy Kumar Sinha, a 1996-batch IAS officer has had no posting since his elimination in October because the chairman of the Punjab State Energy Company Ltd (PSPCL)—a submit he had been given in February. Sinha is because of retire on 31 January, 2026, and no allotment of a posting earlier than that may set one other administrative document in Punjab.

Paramvir Singh, a 2015-batch IAS officer, has been given no posting since being eliminated as commissioner of Patiala Municipal Company in October. Paramvir has had fairly a bureaucratic experience this previous 12 months. He was first eliminated as deputy commissioner of Mansa in August 2024, after which he was with out a posting until October final 12 months, when he was appointed the deputy commissioner of Tarn Taran. However inside just a few weeks, he was eliminated after he reportedly shared stage with a senior chief of the Akali Dal. He remained with out a posting until March 2025, when he was appointed the commissioner of Patiala Municipal Company.

Rahul Bhandari of 1997 batch was eliminated as principal resident commissioner of Punjab Bhawan in Delhi in February 2024, and was not given any work until September 2024, when he was lastly given the cost of animal husbandry and fisheries, seen as among the many “sideline” postings within the state.

Ajoy Kumar Sharma, a 1999-batch IAS officer presently posted as joint secretary in Ministry of Labour and Employment, Authorities of India, was with out a posting for over 4 months after being transferred out in January 2023 as well being secretary, and was given a cost solely in Might that 12 months. His political bosses have been reportedly upset with him for elevating his voice in favour of different officers, and later refusing to sanction cash for the publicity of Aam Aadmi Clinics. 

Vikas Pratap Singh (1994 batch) and Mohammad Tayyab (2007 batch) had no postings from the final week of June until mid-August. Whereas Vikas Partap was lastly posted as further chief secretary of social safety, girls and baby growth, Tayyab was posted as secretary of jails, and in addition given the short-term cost of Inspector Common of Police, Prisons. Equally, Punjab Civil Companies (PCS) officer Jiwan Jot Kaur of 2014 batch remained with out posting from the primary week of June until mid-August, when she was named deputy secretary of parliamentary affairs.

Another officers have remained with out postings for weeks. Requested if authorities service guidelines enable for such lengthy sabbaticals with out posting, a senior officer who has beforehand served within the personnel division, who didn’t want to be named, advised ThePrint that service guidelines are fully silent about such a state of affairs. “The service guidelines outline the guiding rules for a bureaucrat whereas in service. There aren’t any guidelines barring the federal government from not giving any work to an officer. It was a state of affairs that was not envisaged when the service guidelines have been laid down,” the officer mentioned.

Former senior officers rue the state of affairs. Writer Ramesh Inder Singh, who retired as chief secretary of Punjab, advised ThePrint that this can be a punishment tactic. “An officer is saved with out a posting as a result of there isn’t a different method the federal government can discover to proceed towards her or him. They will discover nothing towards them. It has a demoralising impact on the paperwork. Additionally, it has unfavourable connotations for the federal government. The remainder of the paperwork will cease working, which in flip will result in poor efficiency. So in that sense, it doesn’t even do the federal government any good,” he mentioned.

Former Punjab particular chief secretary and columnist Ok.B.S. Sidhu advised ThePrint that there ought to be an affordable period of time inside which an officer ought to be given a posting, both on a cadre submit or one equal to a cadre submit.

“If the federal government isn’t in a position to submit an officer, they’re transgressing from the cadre guidelines. Secondly, for the reason that authorities isn’t taking any work from them however continues to pay them, it’s financially inefficient. Such conditions are used to ship a message to cadre/colleagues that these places of work usually are not in the suitable books of the federal government of the day. Round 15-20 days is ok, however it’s not proper to maintain an officer awaiting posting for thus lengthy,” mentioned Sidhu.

One other retired senior officer advised ThePrint on the situation of anonymity, “To maintain an officer with out a posting for weeks or a month has occurred underneath different governments as nicely. However even then, it was thought-about uncommon. To maintain an officer with out a posting for such an extended interval is massively demoralising for the paperwork. It’s a clear message being despatched to the paperwork. Those that are working are being advised that there isn’t a place for disagreement or perhaps a completely different perspective within the system. Both you toe the road fully, or you’ll be a part of those that are with out work.”

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)

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