An uncivil order

Sir, - The Uttar Pradesh Government, by issuing orders on transfers at the instance of district BJP committees, is breaking the backbone of the apolitical civil service. For quite long MLAs and MPs have been making recommendations/suggestions to the State Government at various levels for the transfer of officers and other employees.

The recent order that the recommendations by MLAs and MPs on transfers and postings be vetted by the BJP's district executive committees is, to say the least, violative of Article 25 of the Constitution. It also flouts the principles of the Civil Service Conduct Rules, which says no civil servant should lobby for transfer or posting. But now civil servants in U.P. will have to lobby not only the MLAs and MPs but also individual members of the BJP district executive committees. The transfer proposals will no longer be based on guidelines or the performance of the employees and will depend on how they serve the important political personalities in the district.

It is, however, gratifying that the Allahabad High Court has restrained the Government from transferring any employee on the recommendation of any MLA until further orders. For the administration to deliver the goods, government servants will have to implement the legal orders of the political executives impartially. The Governments are changing fast at the Central and State levels and it is time political neutrality in the working of employees was restored. This implies the government servant should not owe his posting or transfer to any political personality. The order of the U.P. Government should be revoked immediately.

R. S. Khanna,

Bhopal

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