More than a year after appointing Raghav Chadha as head of a specially formed advisory group to advise the chief minister, the Punjab government has yet to nominate any additional members to the body or convene a meeting.
According to highly placed sources in the department of general administration, the government has taken no action on the problem since Chadha's appointment in July last year.
Chadha, who was barred from the Rajya Sabha in August for alleged rule violations and breach of privilege, and who married actor Parineeti Chopra this month, was a frequent visitor to Chandigarh and had a deep interest in how the Punjab government operated. However, he has been absent from the state for several months, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources attribute his absence to him being obsessed with Delhi issues, where the AAP is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise scandal.
ThePrint attempted to contact Shruti Singh, Punjab secretary, general administration, via phone calls, mails, and a visit to her office last week, but she declined to comment on the advisory group, its members, and any meetings that may have taken place.
The Punjab government notified the formation of an advisory committee on July 6, last year, with the signatures of then-chief secretary Punjab V.K. Janjua. On July 11, just a few days after the notification, the chief secretary issued Chadha's appointment letter as chairman of the committee. The following day, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed against the move at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Petitioner-advocate Jagmohan Singh Bhatti maintained that Chadha's appointment was unconstitutional and arbitrary, and that it was made in violation of "non est" legislation of the state or the federal government.
On July 16, Bhatti also filed a complaint with the Punjab government, questioning Chadha's appointment.
When contacted by ThePrint, Bhatti stated that last week he requested additional information from the government regarding the cabinet meeting that approved the appointment on July 28.
"The government's response to my representation has been most unsatisfactory." Apart from issuing letters that are already in the public domain, the government has not bothered to explain how and on what grounds Raghav Chadha was appointed. "Once I receive the response to the additional information I requested, I will file an appeal with the high court against the appointment," Bhatti added.
Messages were sent to Raghav Chadha by ThePrint. If and when a response is obtained, this report will be updated.
The legal squabble
Bhatti claimed in his lawsuit that Chadha was not a member of the Punjab legislative assembly, and that his appointment amounted to a "parallel government within the government."
Senior counsel Gurminder Singh, who was appointed state advocate general last week, represented the Punjab government in the matter before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
On August 1, Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha's division bench dismissed the petition, directing the government to rule on Bhatti's case.
Bhatti told ThePrint that the chief secretary of Punjab had responded to his representation on November 21, last year.
"The response included a copy of the committee's constitution orders from July 6 and Raghav Chadha's appointment orders from July 11." The government also shared an order signed by Secretary General Administration Kumar Rahul on September 2nd. It stated that the council of ministers met on July 28 to approve the committee's constitution and Chadha's nomination," he noted.
The Committee's Role
According to the notification signed by Janjua, the CM conducted a review of the workings of government at various levels and concluded that a body (temporary in nature) was required to tender advice to the government of Punjab on matters of public importance pertaining to public administration.
The committee's constitution and terms of reference specified that it would be a temporary and ad hoc group to advise the government, consisting of a chairman and other members who would be required from time to time and nominated by the government.
The chairmanship and its members, according to the notification, are not entitled to any salary, remuneration, or privileges of any kind or kind. It further said that the chairman and members would not be entitled to any compensatory payments, including reimbursements.
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