Court admits sacked employee's plea against C'garh Minister

A local court today admitted a petition against Chhattisgarh Rural and Panchayat Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar filed by a sacked woman employee of his department.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Shantanu Deshlahre admitted the plea filed by Manjeet Kaur Bal and took cognisance of the matter under CrPC Section 200 (examination of the complaint by a Magistrate), the petitioner's lawyer, Sanjay Sharma, told PTI.
Manjeet, who was a faculty trainer at Thakur Pyarelal Panchayat and Rural Development Institute, has claimed she was dismissed after she raised her voice against Chandrakar's "indecent" behaviour towards Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Janpad Panchayats, including nine women, who undergo training at the government-run establishment here.

At the Rural Development Department-managed institute, she was also heading the committee against sexual harassment of women at workplace constituted under the Supreme Court- formulated Vishakha guidelines. Her services were terminated on August 20 this year on the ground that she was ineligible for the post.
In her petition, Kaur contended she had to suffer mental distress and financial crisis following her dismissal from the job by the Minister, the lawyer said.
She later approached the police station concerned and senior officials, including Raipur SP and Inspector General, for lodging an FIR against Chandrakar. However, no response was received from them, following which she knocked the doors of the court, Sharma said, quoting the petition.

Through the plea, she sought direction to file an FIR against the Minister as per CrPC Section 156 (3) (under which a Magistrate has power to order police to register first information report), he said.
The court fixed January 7 for next hearing, Sharma added.
The Minister had then rejected Manjeet's charge of vendetta and claimed her dismissal from service was an official procedure since she was not eligible for the post in the institute.