Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday summoned Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. (Representational)THE PUNJAB and Haryana High Court Friday summoned Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, to court due to delay in filling up over 500 vacancies in the Central Bureau of Investigation. The officer has been asked to remain present on January 17.
Justice Kuldip Singh, in September, had directed the union government to fill up 533 vacancies in the investigating agency within a period of three months and further asked it to take steps for increasing the number of posts by 10 percent of its total strength till December 2018 and then 10 percent every year. About 1666 cases were pending with CBI till 31 May. There is a sanctioned strength of 2015 officers in the agency across India.
However, the Centre Friday could not submit any information regarding compliance of the order dated September 14. Additional Solicitor General of India, Satya Pal Jain informed the court that the union ministry has challenged the order in Supreme Court. However, the appeal has not come up for hearing till date.
Jain further told the High Court bench that three months time is a short period to fill up so many vacancies and they would require further time. However, the bench first asked whether there was any stay on the previous court order and then, unconvinced with the submission, asked the Secretary to remain present on the next date of hearing.
The direction has been passed in a case filed by the sister of Manoj Kapoor, a contractor of SIS Company Banking which used to load cash in the ATMs maintained by government and private banks. Kapoor, a resident of Faridkot district, in 2014 went missing. His family had approached the High Court for CBI probe. The case is being investigated by CBI since 2016.
