Bihar government to pay Rs5 lakh, other dues to IAS officer

PATNA: A fortnight after the Delhi high court rebuked the Bihar government for “humiliating, harassing and victimizing” 2013-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer Dr Jitendra Gupta, the Nitish Kumar government on Wednesday decided to pay Rs5 lakh compensation and other dues to him. The government also agreed for his cadre transfer.
“Required decision on Dr Gupta’s cadre transfer in the light of the Delhi high court’s order should be taken at the level of government of India.The procedures to pay the compensation and other dues to Dr Gupta are under process,” the Bihar government wrote in a letter to the director, department of personnel and training (DoPT), government of India, on Wednesday.
Earlier on July 2, a division bench of Delhi high court rebuked the Bihar government for “humiliating, harassing and victimizing” Dr Gupta, who took a tough stand against the transport mafia despite threats to his life. The court had also directed the Centre to initiate his inter-cadre transfer outside Bihar within four weeks.
The bench of Justice Jyoti Singh and Vipin Sanghi had further asked the Bihar Government to pay Rs5 lakh to the IAS officer as compensation within four weeks along with his other dues, saying the court cannot undo the harm done to Gupta but the amount awarded would apply some balm to his wounds.
Dr Gupta had sought his transfer to Haryana, alleging threat to his life for acting tough against the transport mafia in Bihar.
Earlier, a bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) had directed the Union government to consider the case of Dr Gupta for inter-state deputation to Haryana or for central deputation. The CAT had directed state government not to withhold its consent for the inter-state deputation or central deputation of the officer and communicate it to the Centre.
But, Bihar government challenged the CAT order before the Delhi high court. It claimed that the tribunal failed to understand the mala fide intention of the officer for seeking cadre transfer which was to avoid a criminal case. The high court dismissed the state government’s appeal against the CAT order.
In 2016, Dr Gupta, then posted as SDM in Kaimur district, was arrested in a corruption case and had remained in jail for 29 days. He was later granted bail and the FIR was quashed following a Patna high court order.