The sanctity of the key institutions has been shaken from the day Governor’s rule has been imposed in Jammu and Kashmir state in June last year and more so after the taking over of the reigns of power by the present governor Satya Pal Malik from his predecessor N N Vohra almost six months back. There is no dead end to the governor administration’s policy of placing junior officers on the key positions of administrative secretaries in the key department and in latest such provocative decision the government through an order from the general administration department (GAD) asked Achal Sethi though looking after the charge of secretary law but junior to three other officers in the law department to hold the charge of secretary assembly on the superannuation of Rattan Lal Sharma. The government’s decision to give additional charge of Secretary Assembly to Sethi triggered massive protests in the secretariat premises for six consecutive days by the employees of the assembly secretariat who demanded the appointment of a senior most officer as secretary assembly from within the assembly secretariat. It is in place to mention here that for the first time the government has appointed any officer as secretary assembly from outside the assembly secretariat.
Very frustrating and bizarre it is for the employees of both the employees of the assembly secretariat and as well as the law department that government under governor’s rule has subverted the seniority in both the secretariat of the highest law making body of the state- the assembly secretariat and as well as the law department the department which advises the government on the legal matters.
The protests of the employees of the assembly secretariat against the government order asking Sethi to hold the additional charge as secretary assembly though reportedly ended with an assurance from the government that officials of the assembly secretariat overdue for promotion would be promoted in a week’s time but the government subverted the seniority both in the assembly secretariat and as well as law department as government could have given the additional charge of secretary assembly either to Muzaffar Ahmad the incumbent Secretary legislative council senior to Achal Sethi as an officer of law department or any one of three other officers of the law department Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh, Abdul Rashid Fayaz and Nazir Ahmad Thakur all of whom are also senior to Achal Sethi in law department. Very frustrating and bizarre it is for the employees of both the employees of the assembly secretariat and as well as the law department that government under governor’s rule has subverted the seniority in both the secretariat of the highest law making body of the state- the assembly secretariat and as well as the law department the department which advises the government on the legal matters.
