The Centre has finally rejected Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Rakesh Sharma's reappointment to the post following his retirement on October 31 and asked the state government to replace him immediately.
It is a cadre post to which reappointment of a non-cadre official cannot be made when suitable officers are available for appointment to the post, a letter from DoPT dated November 3 said.
The letter signed by Director (S&V) Diwakar Nath Misra said it was in violation of Rule 9 of IAS (Cadre) rule, 1954.
It also reminded the state government further that under rule 16(1) of AIS (DRCB) Rule, 1958 extension of tenure of Chief Secretary of the state vests with the central government.
"I am directed to convey that the order of the state Government of Uttarakhand appointing shree Rakesh Sharma on re-employment as Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand dehors the provisions of the extant rules and regulations framed under the All India Services Act, 1951.
Consequently, the appointment is without any competence and void.
"Therefore, the state Government should appoint a cadre officer as Chief Secretary to the Government of Uttarakhand immediately," the letter read.
Later at a Press Conference here this evening, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said he will study the content of the letter before making his response known to the Centre.
However, he had clarified that hedid not want any confrontation with the central government on the issue.
"The state government has received a letter from the DoPT following reappointment of Mr Sharma to the post of Chief Secretary. Let us see what is written in it. We will first study its contentand then convey our response to the Centre," he had told reporters here.
He said the state government was in no mood for a confrontation with the Centre regarding this matter as appointment of IAS officers was a prerogative of the Centre.
A 1981 batch IAS officer, Sharma who took over as chief secretary in July this year retired on October 31.
A few days before his retirement the state government had written to the Centre seeking extension of his services but there was no response from the Centre till the date of his retirement in this regard, Rawat said.
"When we received no response from the Centre till the eleventh hour, we reappointed him to the post for three months as a session of the state assembly was scheduled to begin in Gairsain on November 2 and there was a lot of work to to be done as many proposals were to be passed including a supplementary budget," he said.
The Centre's silence in response to a request from the state government is usually interpreted as consent.
