Question arise on Spl. CS of Assam, M.K. Yadav’s controversial appointment, demand action from EC and CS.
Question arise on Spl. CS of Assam, M.K. Yadav’s controversial appointment, demand action from EC and CS.
Pankaj Nath, Assam, April 22 :
The appointment of Special Chief Secretary (Forest) of the Forest Department, MK Yadav, appointed by the Assam state government, has been at the centre of a series of controversies. Critics allege that retaining Yadav as the Special Chief Secretary by giving him full administrative and financial powers despite being a retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer is contrary to the spirit of the state government’s own rules, raising questions about administrative transparency and compliance. Yadav retired from the post of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) on 29 February 2024. The very next day after he retired, from 1 March 2024, the Assam government re-engaged him to the post of Special Chief Secretary (Forest) for a temporary period of one year, which was immediately after his retirement. The appointment was issued by the individual department of Assam in accordance with order numbers AAP.23/2024/6 (dated 29.02.2024) and AAP.23/2024/45 (dated 11.03.2024). The one-year term of this Special Chief Secretary was to end on 28th February 2025, but as per the meeting of the Assam Cabinet held on 16th February 2025, his temporary appointment was postponed. According to the Personal Department’s Notification No. 524038/66, dated 21 February 2025, Yadav’s appointment has been extended from 1st March 2025 to “co-terminus with the current term of the state government”, giving him full financial and administrative powers. According to this notification, their salary will be determined on the basis of basic pay and allowances at the time of their leave (minus pension), while they will not get GPF, GIS, other allowances etc. Medical reimbursement will be available only as per the service rules in force prior to their leave. However, as per the office memo AAP.98/2017/30, dated 18.07.2018 of the personal department of the Government of Assam, re-engagement of retired employees is allowed only as Adviser, Special Duty Officer or Special Executive Officer for a maximum of one year, and these posts are not considered equivalent to the posts with full powers like Head of Department or Special Chief Secretary. On the same basis, critics claim that retaining Yadav with full powers in the post of Special Chief Secretary after a period of one year, and till the end of the current term, is contrary to the spirit of the rules, as such powers are generally reserved for serving IAS officers. Another major controversy surrounding this appointment is that Yadav’s appointment has not been cancelled even during the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct (MCC) – i.e. from March 15 to May 4, 2026. “Analysts believe that the appointment of M K Yadav should be cancelled as the MCC is in force and the tenure of the current government is virtually over. Therefore, the Election Commission and the Chief Secretary are being demanded to take note of this and take immediate action. In the interest of ensuring a transparent and fair process, the conscious body has also demanded cancellation of this unusual appointment of political nature. The conscious circle has also called upon the Election Commission to issue necessary instructions to the Assam government on this.
