HCS officers wear black badges over suspension of Kanina SDM

CHANDIGARH: Two days after the suspension of Kanina sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sandeep Singh, Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers’ association came out in his support on Wednesday. More than 100 HCS officers wore black badges at work against Singh’s suspension. They said the protest would continue until the government withdraws or justifies its move.


“He is an officer of the state civil services. The incident has been given a political colour. In the wake of principles of natural justice, he should have been given an opportunity to clarify. It gives a political colour to the matter and an attempt to bog down the morale of officers of civil services,” the association stated in a statement released to the media on Wednesday.

On October 1, the Haryana government had placed Singh under suspension after he was indicted for derilinction of duty and ignoring the directions of his superiors. His suspension came within days of his recording a statement in the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) in a criminal defamation complaint moved by him against Haryana commerce and industries minister Vipul Goel.

Goel had allegedly made some remarks against Singh’s father and former minister Bahadur Singh, as the officer was found to be absent during the meeting of district grievances committee on September 20. The minister had raised question on the absence of the Kanina SDM from meeting in Narnaul, the headquarters of Mahendergarh district. He had also expressed displeasure at the fact that the SDM had neither come nor sent any officer as his representative to attend the meeting.

Goel had directed the district officers to prepare a chargesheet against Singh and chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had reiterated the orders. The government would issue a chargesheet separately.

Contrary to government’s clarification, Singh said he was on leave for five days to look after his ailing father.