Decision taken at top level

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, JULY 28. The decision to requisition the services of three IPS officers from the Tamil Nadu cadre is believed to have been taken at the highest level in the Vajpayee Government.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, the Law Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr. I.D. Swamy, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, and other senior officials were present at a meeting when the decision was taken.

Of doubtful administrative advisability, the decision is being described as political.

Initially, the Home Minister was reported to be of the view that the Centre's options were rather limited, but apparently he went along with the majority view. The DMK has unceasingly been pressurising the Vajpayee Government to ``fix'' those officers who went along with the Tamil Nadu Government's decision to arrest the former Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, on June 30.

According to senior officials, perhaps the Centre is going through the motions. It is pointed out that the cadre control rests with the State Government. None of the three officers was on ``offer list''; none of them is ``empanelled'', though that is not an impediment in the Centre seeking a non- empanelled officer's services.

A State Government can refuse to release an officer, but the Centre can override the objection. However, there is no known case of the Centre over-ruling a State Government in the matter of transfer/posting an officer at the Centre. It is pointed out that perhaps the Centre would be justified in overriding the State Government if the services of an officer is being sought for a very senior post like the Cabinet Secretary or Home Secretary or the Director of Intelligence Bureau.

There is a near unanimity among officials that the Centre can try to settle scores with a State Government but it would have an adverse impact on the morale of the all-India services if officers are sought to be made a pawn in rivalries between political parties at the Centre and in the State. It is argued that the officers were merely implementing the orders of the State Government. The IPS is an all-India service, not a Central service, pointed out an officer.

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