Challenge to direct deputation of ROs in MIDC

Ordered all the respondents including the government to file their reply within 10 days

Aurangabad:

Deputizing the powers of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the vacancies of Regional Officers (RO) in eight MIDC offices in the State have been filled by appointing officers of deputy commissioner level from the revenue department through direct deputation from the ministry of industries and energy. Pursuant to the petition challenging these deputations, a bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh of the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday ordered to issue notices to the defendants along with the State government.

The order asked the respondents to file their reply within 10 days. The petition will be heard on December 5.

Regional manager (RM) of Latur MIDC Shivaji Rathod and RM from Pune and Nagpur filed the petition through adv SR Sapkal. During the hearing, Sapkal pointed out to the bench that MIDC has separate rules. Accordingly, if officers are available in MIDC, appointment of officers on deputation from other departments is prohibited under Rule 17. In addition to this, if officers are to be appointed on deputation, it is mandatory for the CEO to inform the government that officers are not available in their department. Then the government sends officers on deputation. However, the CEO also has the right to appoint those officers. While the CEO did not make any demand to the Government, the ministry of industries on its own appointed officers on direct deputation in eight MIDC offices namely in Thane, Aurangabad, Pune, Panvel, Ratnagiri and Nashik. Therefore, the promotion opportunities of other officers were denied. Adv Sapkal was assisted by adv AB Chormale, Rahul Suryawanshi and Nikita Gore.