The blue-eyed IAS officer of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, KJS Cheema, has been issued a showcause notice by the West Bengal Government for being absent from duty after his repatriation from Punjab, where he stayed on “deputation” for a decade during the previous SAD-BJP Government.
The copy of the showcause notice has also been sent to the office of Punjab Chief Secretary in which he has been asked to explain his failure to report for duty. The Punjab Government had, in April, ordered his repatriation to his parent cadre West Bengal and relieved him. The State Personnel Department had termed his deputation as “unauthorised” and as such recommended he should be repatriated.
A 1993-batch IAS officer, Cheema was Special Principal Secretary to former Chief Minister. The Central Government had also objected to his stay in Punjab since the officer’s inter-State cadre deputation was in violation of IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954.