The DANICS and IAS offciers working with the Delhi Government on Wednesday decided to go on mass leave today in protest against illegal suspension of two special secretaries of Home department: Yashpal Garg, special secretary (Prosecution), and Subhash Chandra, special secretary (Prisons), as they refused to sign a file pertaining to the Cabinet decision to increase salary of the ex-cadre staff in Delhi Prisons and prosecuting officers working under the Directorate of Prosecution of the Delhi Government.

 Sources said the mass casual leave by DANICS and IAS officers may impact the final preparations for even-odd scheme starting from January 1 as most of these officers are looking after the projects pertaining to the road-rationing plan.

Any decision that involves finances cannot be taken unilaterally by the Delhi Government as it is a Union Territory but Home Minister Satyendra Jain was vehement in issuing the order despite the fact that he cannot suspend any DANICS officer without the consent of lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung or the Ministry of Home Affairs.

later in the evening, associations of both IAS and DANICS held an emergency  meeting and discussed the issue of illegal suspension of both officials. They also took note of the resolution passed by DANICS Officers’ Association and expressed their complete support to the resolution and called for the implementation of the contents of resolution in letter and spirit. “It was also jointly resolved to convey the concerns and anguish of both the associations to various Government authorities concerned,” the resolution said.

Earlier in the day, the DANICS Officers’ Association held an emergency meeting in which they called upon their colleagues to proceed on a days casual leave to mark their protest against their suspensions. The powers of placing  any of the  200-odd DANICS officers, who form  the  nerve of the administrative machinery, is either with the Union Home Ministry or l-G. 

In the suspension order, Jain has stated that it is necessary to place Yaspal Garg and Subhash Chandra under suspension. “Whereas disciplinary proceedings are contemplated against Garg in the matter of insubordination and willful disobedience of the orders of the Home Minister on December 28, 2015 verbal and written orders in file were issued by the Home Minister for issuance of compliance of the Cabinet decision in respect of revision of pay scales of staff of director or prosecution of Delhi Government but Garg willfully disobeyed and refused to obey the orders of the Home Minister,” Jain stated in the suspension order.

According to sources, a delegation of DANICS officers also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and apprised the whole situation. They have urged Union Home Minister to declare suspension order null and void. “The officers could not have signed the notification as directed by the Delhi Home Minister, as the l-G had already referred the matter to the President of India under Rule 50 of the Transaction of Business Rules of Delhi Rules 1993,” said the memorandum given to Singh.