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Arvind Chhabra
CHANDIGARH, May 14: Former Adviser to the UT Administrator Jagdish Sagar today came to the rescue of Home Secretary Anuradha Gupta in her ongoing row with Inspector-General of Police Kiran Bedi even as discussions between the senior UT officials continued on the next course of action.
Sources said UT Administrator Lt. Gen. B.K.N. Chhibber (retd) is in touch with Delhi on the case. UT Adviser Vineeta Rai also met him and discussed the issue.
Rai, when contacted, said it is the Administrator who will decide on the action to be taken. "I cannot speak on his behalf," she said.
When asked whether the non-registration of case by the police against two officers amounted to indiscipline, Rai said: "It was ordered by the Administrator and since it has not been obeyed, it surely is indiscipline."
Meanwhile, speaking to Newsline on the phone from New Delhi this evening, former adviser Jagdish Sagar said: "It is not quite fair to blame the Home Secretary as she signed the orders with either my approval or on my initiative." Sagar, who is presently the Chairman of the Delhi Vidyut Board, said he was concerned about the "sad" happenings as the allegations refer to his tenure as UT Adviser.
"There is a difference between intervention and interference. While I never interfered, I had to intervene in police matters following complaints against the police officials, which was absolutely my duty. I'm convinced with whatever I did," he said.
"We had to intervene when we were not satisfied with the conduct of some senior police officials and there were quite a few such instances," he said. "Also, on several occasions the guidelines and the Punjab Police Rules were violated by the IGP office and we had to write that they should be followed." Sagar also cited a few cases.
He said when Kiran Bedi called on him for the first time as the IGP, he told her that the Administration does not intend to intervene in police matters except if the department's conduct was found questionable. "She never expressed such feelings to me during my tenure there," he said.
"The senior officers are protecting their officers instead of taking action against them," he said. Regarding suspensions and transfer orders issued by the HS office, he said that there were a handful of such occasions. "I remember having ordered suspensions and postings in the British nationals case. We had also written for withdrawal of the FIR and the High Court too agreed with it," he added.
When specifically inquired about the order where the HS office directly ordered the transfers of six constables and an ASI, Sagar said: "As I don't remember the case, I won't comment on it. But it doesn't make any difference if the HS directly orders the postings or transfers or directs the IGP to do it. There were no orders issued without my approval."
About promotions of DSPs and SHOs, Sagar said they was done by the Administrator and the IGP was consulted. "I don't think the IGP should have felt insulted," he said.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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