Out of luck?
The suspension of senior Karnataka IPS officer Alok Kumar for alleged role in a lottery scam has sent ripples across the state’s babu corridors. It’s perhaps the first time in the state’s history that an inspector-general of police-rank officer has been suspended. The decision was reportedly taken by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and conveyed through chief secretary Kaushik Mukherjee to the state director-general of police Om Prakash. Apparently the “evidence” against the cop left no option to the government.
But sources say, the government is still treading carefully in the case as Mr Kumar apparently has a history of challenging the government in court. The officer has already indicated that he will approach the Central Administrative Tribunal. The state IPS Officers’ Association too has expressed concern and has asked the government to proceed carefully against the “real culprits” as not all cops are tainted.
Relief in DRDO
More than three months after the unceremonious removal of Avinash Chander as chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the government finally named S. Christopher as his full-time replacement. After Mr Chander, the position was held by former defence secretary R.K. Mathur and his successor, the current incumbent G. Mohan Kumar as an additional charge.
The news of Mr Christopher’s appointment has been greeted with relief by DRDO scientists. At the time of Mr Chander’s removal defence minister Manohar Parrikar had assured that the crucial position would be filled without delay. Babus and scientists in the ministry had been deeply concerned about several crucial projects, some related to upgradation of weapon systems, which have been delayed in the absence of a decision-maker. So Mr Christopher has plenty to deal with on assumption of his new office.
Hope for Khemka
Many expected Haryana Indian Administrative Service officer Ashok Khemka’s woes to end when the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre and later in his state. But that did not happen. The much-transferred official who paid the price after cancelling a land deal involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, thought the Khattar government would rehabilitate him as befitting his seniority in the service, and drop the chargesheet against the babu which was filed by the Congress government of Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
That did not happen, until now. It does appear that the one-man commission appointed by the state government to investigate the irregularities in the controversial Gurgaon land deals is very likely to drop the charges against Mr Khemka, two-and-a-half years later. Some believe that the delay in dropping the charges against the honest Khemka has as much to do with his rivals within the service as with vindictive politicians whom he had taken on. But there’s a glimmer of hope for the senior babu now that his travails may soon be behind him.
