IAS Suspended For Skipping Minister’s Briefing
The action followed an incident in the Assembly a day earlier, when Ms. Munde said she was not briefed on a pollution-related issue despite summoning the officer: Reports
MUMBAI: M. Devendra Singh, a 2011-batch IAS officer and Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), was suspended on Friday for failing to attend an official briefing convened by Environment Minister Pankaja Munde, triggering a sharp political and administrative debate.
The action followed an incident in the Assembly a day earlier, when Ms. Munde said she was not briefed on a pollution-related issue despite summoning the officer. Subsequently, the presiding officer, Dilip Mama Lande, ordered Mr. Singh’s suspension. The order was implemented by the state’s General Administration Department (GAD) within 24 hours.
A senior official, requesting anonymity, said the suspension was approved by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with the assent of Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggrawal. “It was necessary to suspend the MPCB secretary to send a message to the bureaucracy that it is not above the Legislature,” the official said. The suspension order will be sent to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for post facto approval. A departmental inquiry against Mr. Singh has also been initiated.
According to an official order issued by V. Radha, Additional Chief Secretary (GAD), disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Singh are contemplated. “The Government of Maharashtra, in exercise of powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-rule (1) of Rule 3 of the All-India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, hereby places M. Devender Singh, IAS (MH: 2011), under suspension with immediate effect,” the order stated.
During the suspension period, Mr. Singh’s headquarters will remain in Mumbai, and he will require prior permission from the Divisional Commissioner, Konkan Division, to leave the city. He has also been barred from engaging in any private employment or business activity. He will be entitled to subsistence allowance and other benefits, subject to service conditions. “Any violation of these conditions shall be treated as misconduct and may lead to further disciplinary action,” the order added.
The incident has raised broader concerns over bureaucratic accountability and the working relationship between elected representatives and civil servants.
Senior BJP leader and minister Sudhir Mungantiwar termed the officer’s conduct an “insult to the Constitution” and called for strict action. “Pankaja Munde stated yesterday that an IAS officer had refused to attend a briefing. An officer speaking in such a manner with a minister is unacceptable. The presiding officer ordered his suspension the same day, and the action was expected within 24 hours,” he said.
Mr. Mungantiwar said the incident occurred on Thursday and the suspension was carried out on Friday. “In the future, such an officer should even be sent to jail. Refusing to brief a minister amounts to an insult to the Constitution,” he added, noting that the Constitution provides for action against such conduct.
The senior BJP leader also criticised what he described as growing arrogance among some officials, claiming that a section of district collectors believe that while MLAs may change, they will remain in office. “Respect should be mutual — give respect and take respect,” he said.
