Chhattisgarh: Suspense on IAS resignation, resignation not accepted even after 7 years, has contested elections from Congress

News India Live, Digital Desk: The resignation of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer has been buried in government files for the last seven years, which has become a topic of discussion in administrative and political circles. This IAS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre had submitted his resignation during the year 2017-18 to enter politics. The surprising thing is that despite the resignation not being accepted, this officer has also contested the elections on Congress ticket. Now questions are being raised that how is this technically possible and why is the government stalling his resignation? The matter stuck between OP Choudhary and Neelkanth Tikam? Usually when an IAS officer resigns, it is sent to the Central Government (DoPT) through the State Government. The catch in this matter is that when the officer resigned, there was another government in the state and now the circumstances have changed. Similar cases have also been faced by former IAS and current ministers of Chhattisgarh OP Choudhary and Neelkanth Tikam, but their resignations were accepted as per the procedure. In this particular case, the Central Government has raised some technical objections, due to which the file has been ‘pending’ for seven years. How was the election contested without the resignation being accepted? According to the rules, it is mandatory for any government officer to resign from the post to contest elections. In this case the officer had opted for ‘voluntary retirement’ (VRS) or outright resignation. He had attached a copy of his resignation during his nomination before the Election Commission. However, as per service rules, until the government formally accepts the resignation and publishes it in the Gazette, the officer is technically considered to be in service. This is why now their service status and future pension facilities are at stake. What is the government’s strategy? Political experts believe that keeping the resignation pending could also be a strategic move. If any departmental inquiry is pending against the officer or any violation of service rules is found, the government may reject the resignation and take disciplinary action. On the other hand, due to contesting elections from Congress, this matter has now taken a completely political color. Officials are now making rounds from Delhi to Raipur so that their ‘administrative identity’ can be finally bid farewell.