Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal comprising B. Venkateshwar Rao, (member judicial) and Minnie Mathew, (member admin) on Thursday suspended the promotions of 148 Income-Tax inspectors by the chief commissioner Income-Tax of AP, Hyderabad.
The bench was dealing with a petition by office superintendents and senior tax assistants of the department challenging the action of the chief commissioner in superseding an earlier order of the Centre. K. Lakshmi Narasimha, counsel for the petitioners, alleged that rules were ignored to give promotions.
Dr K. Lakshmi Narasimha,counsel for the petitioners said as per the order of the Centre all the posts of office superintendents, senior tax assistants, and stenographers have been merged in a single cadre called as executive assistants and then to give promotions by treating the executive assistants as feeder category for promotions.
He alleged that the Chief Income Tax Commissioner ignored the Rule and effected the promotions.
The bench noted that the petition was filed on June 2 and the IT authorities sought several adjournments and despite pending of the petition, the Commissioner convened the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting and given promotions.
The bench pointed out that when this matter came up for hearing on June 9, the counsel for the department sought an adjournment and it was granted on the assurance that the DPC was not going to be held.
While suspending the order, the bench observed “we are surprised that how the officials deliberately effected the promotions contrary to the tribunal’s interim direction, dated June 9. Even in the DPC, which was constituted for this purpose had approved the cases certainly it takes some time to issue promotion orders, but in the present case the interim direction was granted on June 9 and DPC also approved the promotions on the same day.”
