Meanwhile, the impasse over the appointment of the new Senior Superintendent of Police in place of C.S.R. Reddy continues. The new incumbent, Dinkar Gupta, who was displaced from the key SSP's post (for which he was selected) even before he could come in, has not joined. Chandigarh is still without a regular Deputy Commissioner. While a decision on the new appointee has not been taken, the previous incumbent, K.K. Khandelwal, has already returned to his parent cadre. Certain other changes are also reportedly on the cards.

The controversy over all these appointments underlines the need to have a clear policy on having officers on deputation to Chandigarh. There is no doubt that Anuradha Gupta played a pivotal role in exposing corruption in the Engineering Department. But the UT Administration's stand on her continuation for this reason could set a wrong precedent. Administrative functioning is a continuing process and no one can be indispensable.

Similarly, no officer should be penalised for taking a principled stand on professional matters. If an officer has done a good job, it should reflect in his or her ACR, but the deputation period should be fixed and there should be no deviation, unless there is an election code forbidding movement of officers till a certain period.

Needless to say, the only criterion for appointments should be merit and not personal convenience of anyone. The Administrator's order on the eve of Dinkar Gupta's joining the UT should be rescinded and he should be made to join the post he was picked for. In the Engineering Department case, the main accused, K.K. Jerath has made wild allegations, particularly against Anuradha Gupta. Since Jerath has opted to be a fugitive and evade the due process of law -- and given Gupta's track record -- these charges don't stick. Yet the UT Administrator could satisfy himself that there is no personal vendetta against any of the accused. Also, the Administrator should ensure that the anti-corruption drive is not limited to the "kickbacks case". The inquiry into the Engineering Department, which was reeking with corruption, was apropos, but many other departments of the Administration too need similar scrutiny.