MUMBAI: Joint municipal commissioner Nidhi Choudhary was shunted out of the BMC on Monday after a controversy over her tweet about Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse.
The government also served her a show-cause notice for violating the All-India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968, for her tweet on fading out Gandhiji’s image and influence from the public sphere.
A 2012 batch IAS officer, Choudhary was transferred to the water supply department as deputy secretary by the BJP-led government, which faces the assembly election later this year.
As her tweet drew angry reactions and political parties slammed her, Choudhary deleted it and clarified that it was not her intention to insult Mahatma Gandhi.
She said that people had misunderstood her tweet from last month and that she was an ardent follower of Gandhiji.
NCP legislator Jeetendra Awhad was the first to register his protest against her tweet; he was followed by NCP president Sharad Pawar and Congress politician and former chief minister Ashok Chavan.
While Awhad demanded her suspension, Chavan and Pawar, too, demanded action against her.
“We condemn her tweet; stern action should be taken against her. If no action is taken, it will send a wrong message to the people across the country,” Pawar said in a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. As reactions poured in, Fadnavis asked chief secretary Ajoy Mehta to shift Choudhary and initiate disciplinary proceedings against her for violation of service rules.
A bureaucrat said that while she had been shifted, notice under Section 6 of the All India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968, was being served on her.
Under Section 6, sanction of the government is not required when a member of the service in the bona fide discharge of his duties or otherwise publishes a book or contributes to or participates in public media. In the case at hand, it was observed that the contents of Choudhary’s tweet were not even remotely associated with her present assignment.
“Prima facie, there appears to be violation of the rules in view of her comments against Mahatma Gandhi. She exceeded her brief. We have served her a show-cause notice. We will wait for her reply and decide the course of action. It may vary from a simple warning to termination of service,” the bureaucrat said.
The officials said the state government would soon come out with a new policy on bureaucrats’ use of social media.
NCP corporators staged a protest outside the BMC headquarters demanding Choudhary's resignation. Choudhary was not present as she was on leave.
Choudhary has been active on Twitter and has several times replied to citizen grievances. Her last tweet was on June 2.
The government also served her a show-cause notice for violating the All-India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968, for her tweet on fading out Gandhiji’s image and influence from the public sphere.
A 2012 batch IAS officer, Choudhary was transferred to the water supply department as deputy secretary by the BJP-led government, which faces the assembly election later this year.
As her tweet drew angry reactions and political parties slammed her, Choudhary deleted it and clarified that it was not her intention to insult Mahatma Gandhi.
She said that people had misunderstood her tweet from last month and that she was an ardent follower of Gandhiji.
NCP legislator Jeetendra Awhad was the first to register his protest against her tweet; he was followed by NCP president Sharad Pawar and Congress politician and former chief minister Ashok Chavan.
While Awhad demanded her suspension, Chavan and Pawar, too, demanded action against her.
“We condemn her tweet; stern action should be taken against her. If no action is taken, it will send a wrong message to the people across the country,” Pawar said in a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. As reactions poured in, Fadnavis asked chief secretary Ajoy Mehta to shift Choudhary and initiate disciplinary proceedings against her for violation of service rules.
A bureaucrat said that while she had been shifted, notice under Section 6 of the All India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968, was being served on her.
Under Section 6, sanction of the government is not required when a member of the service in the bona fide discharge of his duties or otherwise publishes a book or contributes to or participates in public media. In the case at hand, it was observed that the contents of Choudhary’s tweet were not even remotely associated with her present assignment.
“Prima facie, there appears to be violation of the rules in view of her comments against Mahatma Gandhi. She exceeded her brief. We have served her a show-cause notice. We will wait for her reply and decide the course of action. It may vary from a simple warning to termination of service,” the bureaucrat said.
The officials said the state government would soon come out with a new policy on bureaucrats’ use of social media.
NCP corporators staged a protest outside the BMC headquarters demanding Choudhary's resignation. Choudhary was not present as she was on leave.
Choudhary has been active on Twitter and has several times replied to citizen grievances. Her last tweet was on June 2.
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