If new rules being finalised by the Centre are put into force, state governments will have to inform the Centre within 48 hours about the suspension of an all India services officer.The new service rules being formulated by the Centre for top bureaucrats will ensure that an IAS or IPS officer cannot remain suspended beyond a week except for a prior sanction of a review committee to the respective state governments.
What makes this significant is the fact that there have been demands from civil servants about rules to check arbitrary suspensions and transfers of bureaucrats by the state governments — case of officers like Ashok Khemka and Durga Sakthi Nagpal being examples.
As per the draft All India Services (Discipline and Appeals) Amendments Rules, 2015, for continuing suspension beyond a week, the appropriate government will have to get the recommendations of the civil services board or central review committee as the case may be.
