Referring to the transfer of former Pune Municipal Commissioner Arun Bhatia Seshan made it clear that while he did not know enough facts about the transfer, he could only offer only philosophical remarks. Seshan was in Pune to announce the launch of `Nirdhaar' a voluntary organisation meant to assist the public in matters related to government offices. ``Any officer who conducts his duties without fear or favour needs to be applauded and encouraged. But the suggestions that correspondence between officers and the government can be made public is not in the rule book. If I had a chance, I would have thrown the rule book at the person violently,'' he said.

``I have lived with the government for 36 years. I was transferred six times in a day between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. by the Madras government in 1962. I shunted between the departments throughout the day. In any condition freedom of publicising cannot be enjoyed by civil servants,'' he said. Seshan was very clear that a government officer has to put up with the attendant disadvantages of being part of the government.

``You cannot sit inside the government office and rock it. If you do not like it, leave it,'' he advised. ``What happens inside the office is as sacred as what happens between a husband and wife. You cannot equate a tough civil servant's activity to public posturing,'' he said. When asked to comment on manner in which the transfer orders were delivered to Bhatia, Seshan felt the manner in which the orders were delivered was not important since they had been signed by the authorised officer.