Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court on Friday had a word of praise for suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who took on the powerful sand mafia in Gautam Budh Nagar, saying she "bravely" exercised her jurisdiction.
"We have gone through the pleading on record. We feel that the officer Nagpal bravely exercised her jurisdiction to seize 24 dumpers and stopped illegal mining in Noida. Fifteen alleged offenders have also been arrested," the court`s Lucknow bench observed.
"Special Flying Squads were formed by her to check the menace of illegal mining at Noida," the court added.
The bench comprising Justice Devi Prasad Singh and Justice Ashok Pal Singh made the observations while seeking a reply from the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on the issue of illegal mining in the state while hearing a PIL for revoking the suspension of the 28-year-old officer.
It, however, declined to interfere on the issue of suspension on the grounds that the officer concerned has not approached the court and also it was a matter between her and the government.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said the officer was suspended for having arbitrarily decided to demolish a wall of an under-construction mosque at Qadalpur village and denied that the action had any connection with the sand mafia.
"...For courts` interference in such matters, it shall be necessary that the officer concerned should approach the court to ventilate his grievance," it observed.
The court while fixing August 19 as the next date of hearing said illegal mining was of grave concern.
It sought a reply on how many FIRs were lodged, how many dumpers were seized and how many people were arrested after the suspension of Nagpal, SDM, Gautam Budh Nagar, on July 27.
Appearing on behalf of the state government, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Bulbul Godiyal submitted that the PIL was not maintainable in service matters.
Social activist Nutan Thakur filed the PIL for a direction to Department of Personnel and Training (cadre controlling authority of IAS officers) to summon the file related to the suspension of Nagpal and cancelling the suspension if it was found to be illegal and improper.
The court said the AAG seemed to be correct in her submission that it was not open for the court to interfere with the order of suspension as it was between the government and public servant and the public servant concerned has not approached the court.
"Hence, to the extent of the impugned order of suspension, we decline to interfere," it said.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.