New Delhi (08.02.2021): The SC order of October 31, 2013, fixing a two-year tenure for civil servants, stands flouted in letter and spirit in God's own country, Kerala, as much as in other mundane places of the Union of Indian States.

While some states are said to have executed the SC order in ditto, most have been unwilling to surrender their leverage over the civil servants. Even in the states where the Civil Services Boards in accordance with the SC directive have been set up, state political executives have found ways to go around the directive to achieve their objectives.

So, as it goes, despite the declaration of all pious intents since January 28, 2014, when Kerala amended the IAS cadre rules 1954 to update it in the light of the SC direction, the left, democratic, progressive, and secular leaders of the state have shown their unconcealed contempt for the SC ruling not in words but in deeds.

Official data indicates that the tenure of officers in the secretary rank till 2018 from 2014 averaged 11 months, which further slid to 10 months after 2018.

This issue has come to be highlighted as state politics moves into election gear to elect 140 members to its legislative assembly in May 2021.

Since IAS officers play a critical role in holding free and fair elections, the issue is lent additional thrust because the state is also shadowed and stricken by an acute shortage of cadre IAS officers. One doesn't know whether the situation is an overhang of the past or deliberate or both.

As of December 2, 2020, the state had only 34 officers in the rank of principal secretary and secretary who were managing as many as 72 posts. Officials figures indicate that 16 officers in the rank of principal secretary were holding  31 posts - of which 27 were cadre posts. Similarly, 18 officers in the rank of secretary were supervising 41 posts - of which 30 are cadre posts.

This means that while at least two posts are held by senior officials in the ranks of principal secretary and secretary, some are also holding three or more. Principal secretaries K R Jyothilal and Rani George hold three different posts each and Rajesh Kumar Sinha supervises two different posts. There are said to be five principal secretaries in charge of two different cadre posts. On the other hand, secretary Tinku Biswal is holding four cadre posts and Sanjay Kaul three. Besides, there are six more secretary rank officers holding at least three cadre posts.

It goes without saying that this sort of administrative dispensation goes against the very grain of good governance. So, will it matter to the people in the next election?

(By MK Shukla & Rakesh Ranjan)