The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday appointed 1988-batch IAS officer Sanjay Gupta as the chief secretary of the state in what it termed as 'public interest'. This decision comes merely four days ahead of his superannuation scheduled for May 31.
Current Role and Background
Gupta is currently serving as the additional chief secretary for the town and country planning and housing department. He has been holding the additional charge as the chief secretary since October 1 last year, following the retirement of former chief secretary Prabodh Saxena.
Succession Plans Unclear
The government has not yet indicated who will succeed Gupta after his retirement at the end of this month.
Legal Challenges
Gupta's appointment has come under judicial scrutiny. The Himachal Pradesh high court last week issued notices to the state government, the central government, and Gupta while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the decision to entrust him with the additional charge of chief secretary despite three corruption-related FIRs pending against him.
Petitioner's Arguments
The petitioner argued that maintaining integrity in senior administrative appointments is of paramount importance. It was claimed that officers holding key constitutional and administrative positions must possess impeccable credentials. The PIL stated that integrity should be valued even above competence for such appointments.
The matter is scheduled for hearing before the high court on July 21.
