Fresh trouble for Haryana IAS officer Kasni, now BC panel chief seeks action

Mangalore Today News Network

Chandigarh, Oct 08, 2016: After a majority of his 40-odd subordinates in welfare of scheduled caste and backward classes department held a two-day strike last week, Haryana IAS officer Pradeep Kasni is in for some fresh trouble.

The Haryana Backward Classes Commission (HBCC) has now sought action against Kasni, who is director general, welfare of scheduled castes and backward classes and member secretary, HBCC.

HBCC chairman justice SN Aggarwal (retired) has, in a letter to chief secretary Depinder Singh Dhesi, demanded removal of the 1997 batch IAS officer from the commission or action against him for trying to throw out two persons working in the commission on contract. “The officer had verbally told the two persons that their services would be terminated. He did so without permission or taking the commission into confidence. His action would have affected the working of the commission that is operating with a skeletal staff,” sources told Hindustan Times. The member secretary’s action upset the chairman who told the staff to continue and shot off the letter to the chief secretary on Monday.

Justice Aggarwal, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, is also learnt to have sent a copy of the letter to principal secretary to chief minister Rajesh Khullar to bring the matter to the knowledge of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

When contacted, Kasni said there was no problem between the commission chairman and him. “I met him today and everything was okay,” he said. However, the HBCC chairman’s letter does not augur well for Kasni against whom the entire staff of Haryana welfare of scheduled caste and backward classes department at the state headquarters (Chandigarh) had staged a protest last week. They were on a ‘pen down strike’ for two days to protest against the officer’s behaviour and press for his transfer. The protesting employees had accused him of shouting at staff and threatening to place some of them under suspension and terminate the services of those working on contract. While Kasni had denied the charges, the stand-off was resolved only with the intervention of his predecessor.

Kasni was posted as director general, welfare of scheduled caste and backward classes, about two weeks ago. He was first posted in the finance department on September 19, but then shifted to the welfare of SC and BC department within two days. The transfer was his 66th in a bureaucratic career of 36 years.