Bolangir: Even as revenue inspectors (RIs), assistant revenue inspectors (ARIs) and amins appointed in 2013 in the district were removed from their posts, they met the district collector Friday evening and requested him to follow the directives of the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) over their appointment.
SAT Thursday had put a stay on the state government’s order which declared the 2013 appointments of the revenue officials null and void.
Notably, the revenue officials were removed from their posts after the district collector Thursday evening declared their appointments null and void and issued a letter to this effect.
Collector M Muthukumar, at his residential office here, said he received the SAT order by a government lawyer Friday afternoon. He had formally apprised the principal secretary about the order and sought his opinion on the issue.
The next course of action would be taken on the basis of the recommendations from the principal secretary.
The aggrieved employees had moved the SAT following the order of the district collector Thursday evening.
Hearing their plea, the SAT had issued an interim stay over termination of their appointments. The SAT also directed to follow Article 311 (2) of the Constitution of India while taking a decision to declare the appointments null and void. SAT had also ordered that candidates be heard before taking a final decision on their fate.
It was alleged that the district administration had received huge kickbacks and gave jobs of RI, ARI and amin to ineligible candidates in place of genuine and deserving candidates in 2013.
The decision of the state government and later that of the district collector came after the Vigilance department conducted a probe and confirmed the irregularities in recruitment.
PNN
