IEP DEHRADUN, September 24, 2022
In a landmark decision, unprecedented in the history of Uttarakhand, the Assembly speaker Ritu Khanduri has cancelled 228 appointments in the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha. The speaker has sent a proposal to the Uttarakhand government to cancel these ad hoc appointments made in the year 2016, 2020 and 2021.
Though no action has been taken in the appointments made prior to 2011, the speaker however has sought legal opinion on these appointments which are permanent in nature. Khanduri has also cancelled 22 appointments done through the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL) in the Vidhan Sabha.
Acting on the recommendations of the three-member expert committee, the Assembly speaker has also cancelled the process initiated by her predecessor Prem Chand Agarwal for recruitment to 32 posts in Vidhan Sabha and suspended the Vidhan Sabha secretary Mukesh Singhal. On September 3, Khanduri had appointed a three member committee headed by former bureaucrat DK Kotia to investigate the controversial appointments made in Vidhan Sabha during the tenure of speakers in the past. On late Thursday night the committee handed over the 214 page report to the speaker.
Acting swiftly the speaker took a decision on Friday to cancel 150 ad hoc appointments made in the year 2016 (speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal), six made in the year 2020 and 72 in 2021 (speaker Prem Chand Agarwal). Khanduri announced her decision in a press conference in Vidhan Sabha on Friday afternoon. The speaker said that on September 3, she had promised that she would not hesitate to take a strong decision in the interest of the State and would try to fulfill the aspirations of the youngsters of the State. She said that the expert committee has found gross irregularities in the ad hoc appointments made in the Vidhan Sabha in the year 2016, 2020 and 2021 and has recommended their cancellations.
