IAS officer Pradeep Kasni
Haryana IAS officer Pradeep Kasni, who took on the state government by objecting to appointments made by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently, has been shunted out. (
Another Khemka. Haryana Bureaucrat Challenges Chief Minister Hooda)
Mr Kasni, who was the Secretary of the Administrative Reforms Department, has now been posted as the Administrator of the Command Area Development Agency; considered a relatively unimportant department in government circles. (
After SMS Demanding Explanation, an Apology in Case of Officer vs Chief Minister)
Mr Kasni had earlier refused to clear the appointment letters for five senior officers sworn in by the Chief Minister, alleging violation of protocol.
The officers were administered their oaths by the Chief Minister - a role usually reserved for the Governor, and a process that could be challenged in court. (
Haryana Governor Seeks Reply From Hooda Government over Officers' Appointments)
He had said the people chosen by the chief minister -- to serve in crucial posts in the Right to Information and Right to Service Commissions -- did not meet the criteria needed for their posts.
Shortly after the controversy erupted, the top bureaucrat in the state and Mr Kasni's boss -- Chief Secretary SC Chaudhary - sent him a text message, allegedly threatening him.
"Good night... please enjoy your new status of being a celebrity... But
agar apni maa ka doodh piya h to mere saare msg press ko dikha dena (If you are a man, I dare you to show my messages to the press)," stated the message.
Mr Chaudhary later told reporters that his text message was being misrepresented as a threat, and that he was attempting to tease his junior for looking for some media attention.
The BJP had backed the officer, saying his objections to the appointments were not misplaced; the officers should have been sworn in by the new governor Kaptan Singh Solanki.
The Chief Minister claims that he was authorised by outgoing governor Jagannath Pahadia to appoint the commissioners. But the BJP says the permission of the new governor, a party nominee, should have been taken.
On August 2, Mr Solanki sought an explanation from the Hooda government over the issue.