Hyderabad: Senior officers of the All India Service (AIS) from Telangana have decided to approach the State High Court after being denied relief by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). They plan to file a lunch motion in the High Court on Tuesday.
Seven officials from the Telugu states had earlier approached the CAT, challenging an order by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The CAT, however, directed the AIS officers from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to follow the DoPT’s instructions and report to the states where they were assigned. Officers like Amrapali Kata, Vakati Karuna, Ronald Rose, and Anjani Kumar (IPS) are required to report to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday, as per the CAT’s ruling.
The CAT emphasized that the DoPT has the authority to decide the officers’ postings and that there are clear guidelines in place for this. The tribunal questioned why the officers were unwilling to work in Andhra Pradesh, especially in light of challenges like floods, and pointed out that they could only pursue legal options after reporting to their designated cadre.
It is reported that these officers have already been relieved from their duties in Telangana. However, it remains unclear if they will comply with the CAT’s order to report to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary by Wednesday, as they are now seeking relief from the High Court.
The issue of cadre allocation for IAS and IPS officers has been complicated since 2014, following the recommendations of the Pratyush Sinha Committee. The DoPT had initially released a list of cadre allocations, giving officers 90 days to file objections or select their preferred state. However, just 15 days later, the DoPT issued a second list, causing confusion.
The first list followed the “insider and outsider” category, allowing officers born in the regions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (when they were part of United Andhra Pradesh) to choose between the two states. Officers born outside these regions were not given the same choice.
