Punjab Government’s move to replace Agriculture Director, Mangal Singh Sandhu faced a set back when Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a stay on the operation of order, dated September 17, by which Sandhu was asked to relinquish the charge.
The orders of the High Court came on a petition filed by Sandhu wherein he has challenged the orders saying that an officer junior to him had been given the charge of Director Agriculture after replacing him. His petition says that he was earlier posted as the joint director in the department. Being the senior most officer, he was given current duty charge of Director in 2011. Since then he had been officiating on the post.
The Government on September 17 withdrew the duty charge of Director Agriculture without giving him any reason and an officer junior to him was handed over the duty charge. The petitioner has claimed that the action of the Government to depute a junior officer on the Director’s post was illegal, arbitrary and a violation of the Government guidelines and Supreme Court orders. Terming the move to be a violation of constitutional mandate, Sandhu sought the quashing of the orders of September 17.
Taking up the petition, Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia while issuing notice to State of Punjab and other respondents for October 16, also stayed the operation of the order till next date.
Sandhu was removed from the post of Director Agriculture after the Whitefly attack on cotton plants played havoc with the farmers in Punjab. He has been facing allegations of purchasing pesticides of inferior quality. Punjab Government had ordered an enquiry into alleged pesticide scam and replaced Sandhu with Gurdial Singh, the senior most joint director in the department.