The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, March 2
Six and a half months after his appointment as Haryana Director General of Police, IPS officer Shatrujeet Kapoor was relieved of charge as Chief of Anti Corruption Bureau.
As per the order issued of the Home Department of Haryana on March 1, Amitabh Singh Dhillon, a 1997 batch IPS of Haryana Cadre, who last month got promoted to the rank of ADGP has been posted as Additional Director General in the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), Haryana. Earlier he was posted as IGP in the ACB.
Pertinent to mention that a year ago in February 2023 the name of the then Haryana State Vigilance Bureau was changed to Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB). At that time, Shatrujeet Kapoor, 1990 batch IPS of Haryana Cadre was posted as Director-General (DG) of ibid Bureau since Sep 2021.
Six months later on August 16, 2023, Kapoor was however appointed as the Director General of Police (DGP) (Head of Police Force – HOPF), Haryana for a minimum tenure of at least two years from the date of his assumption of charge and till further orders thereafter.
Hemant Kumar, an Advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court wrote to the Haryana Government first in September last year that in the appointment Order of Kapoor as Haryana DGP (HoPF) issued by the State Home Department on 16 Aug 2023, it was not mentioned therein that if he would also hold the additional charge of DG, ACB. Even later onwards, no formal Order was available in the public domain pertaining to the State Govt delegating the aforementioned additional charge of DG, ACB to DGP, Haryana, Shatrujeet Kapoor.
Even on the official website of the Haryana Police, in the list of State Cadre IPS officers, Kapoor was shown as DGP, Haryana and there was no mention of the additional charge of DG, ACB, However, on the official website of ACB, Haryana, Kapoor’s name was shown as DG, ACB.
Be that as it may, on 19 Oct 2023, 15 Inspector rank officials serving in ACB, Haryana were transferred via an Order issued under the signature of Shatrujeet Kapoor who was mentioned therein as DG, ACB, Haryana which further substantiated the aforementioned fact.
Amidst the prevalence of this ambiguity, Hemant again wrote to the State Government in November last year for proactive public disclosure over if Shatrujeet Kapoor, apart from having principal charge as DGP (HoPF), Haryana was also DG, ACB, Haryana as an additional charge or as Link Officer.
The Advocate said that the system of Link Officer is prevalent in the Personnel Department of the State Government in respect of IAS/HCS officers especially those posted on higher and important posts and a comprehensive list pertaining to Link Officers is available in the official website of the Chief Secretary, Haryana.
Elaborating this system of Link Officer, Hemant explained that in the event of the absence of IAS/HCS officers being on leave/training/tour/election duty or away for more than two days due to any other reason or in the event of vacancy due to retirement/transfer of officer, the work will be looked after by the respective Link Officers.
Hemant said that till date it is not officially clear whether the Link Officer system is also applicable in the State Home Department in respect of IPS officers or not, especially regarding important and sensitive posts like DG, ACB. The Advocate had appealed to the Haryana Government to issue proper public clarification in this regard. Officially, Haryana DGP (HoPF) can concurrently be DG, ACB only under two circumstances. Firstly, if DGP, Haryana is the link officer of the post of DG, ACB or else Haryana DGP is formally given the additional charge of DG, ACB by the State Government.
