The over 4,700-member strong Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers' association today welcomed the Supreme Court verdict favouring fixed tenure for bureaucrats, saying it will help in ensuring good governance.
"We support the judgement. It vindicates our stand. It will help in good governance across the country," IAS officers' association secretary Sanjay R Bhoos Reddy told PTI.
It is necessary that the judgement not only gets implemented in letter but in spirit also, he said.
The association of Indian Forest Service (IFoS) also supported the apex court verdict.
"We support the judgement. It is a good judgement. It will check in arbitrary transfers and suspensions," said IFoS association's President A R Chadha.
In a land mark verdict, the Supreme Court today held that bureaucrats should not act on verbal orders given by political bosses and sought an end to frequent transfers and suggested a fixed tenure to insulate them from political interference.
Suggesting sweeping reforms in the functioning of bureaucracy, a bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan said Parliament must enact a law to regulate postings, transfers and disciplinary action against bureaucrats.
The judgement comes close on the heels of controversies surrounding Ashok Khemka, IAS officer of Haryana cadre over DLF-Robert Vadra land deal, and Durga Sakhti Nagpal, UP cadre IAS officer, who was targeted by the state government for alleged misconduct.
IAS, IFoS and Indian Police Service associations have been demadning changes in service rule to ensure arbitrary transfers and suspensions of officers.
There are about 11,000 members of the three services-- around 4,737 IAS, 3,637 IPS and about 2,700 IFoS officers-- working across the country.
