The Punjab government, through its August 10 notification, had dissolved all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads.
he Punjab government has taken significant action by suspending two IAS officers due to their “technically flawed” decision regarding the dissolution of Panchayats.
The two officers in question are Dhirendra Kumari Tiwari, who held the position of Principal Secretary in the Panchayat Department, and Gurpreet Singh Khaira, who served as the director in the same department.
Earlier , the Punjab Government informed the Punjab-Haryana High Court about its decision to withdraw the notification for the dissolution of Panchayats.
The suspension of the two IAS officers was executed shortly after the government reversed its stance by notifying the high court of its intention to retract the notification that dissolved all gram panchayats in the state.
According to an official order, Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, and Gurpreet Singh Khaira, a 2009-batch IAS officer, were suspended with immediate effect under the provisions of rule 3(1) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. Tiwari held the position of Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats, while Khaira was Director, Rural Development and Panchayats, and ex-officio Special Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats. The order was issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Verma.
During their suspension, the headquarters of these officers will be in Chandigarh, and they will receive subsistence allowances in accordance with rules.
Earlier on the same day, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government conveyed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court its decision to withdraw the notification that dissolved all gram panchayats in the state. This move was seen as a significant setback for the Bhagwant Mann administration.
Through an August 10 notification, the Punjab government had dissolved all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis, and zila parishads. As per the notification, elections for panchayat samiti and zila parishad members were to be held by November 25, and elections for gram panchayats were scheduled by December 31.
The state has a total of 13,241 gram panchayats, 152 block samitis, and 22 zila parishads. The opposition criticized the AAP government for its change of stance in the court.
