Special Adviser to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and retired IAS officer Alapan Bandyopadhyay may lose his retirement benefits fully or partially as the Centre has initiated disciplinary proceedings against him. The Centre had given 30 days to the 1987-batch IAS officer to reply to a ‘memorandum’ sent to him.
Alapan Bandyopadhyay retired on May 31 and was appointed special adviser to Mamata Banerjee. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had sent a memorandum to Bandyopadhyay on June 16 mentioning the charges levelled against him.
The memorandum said that the Centre proposes to hold major penalty proceedings against him under Rule 8 of All-India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, read with Rule 6 of All-India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958. “The substance of the imputations of misconduct or misbehaviour in respect of which the inquiry is proposed to be held is set out in the statement of Article of Charge,” said the notice.
The Centre has also asked him to state whether he desires to be heard in-person to present his case. The notice also directed him to respond only to the Article of Charge as to whether he accepts or denies it.
Notably, Bandyopadhyay was Chief Secretary of West Bengal and Mamata Banerjee had demanded a three-month extension for him which was approved by the Centre. However, when PM Narendra Modi went to Bengal for a cyclone review meeting, CM Mamata Banerjee allegedly arrived late and left soon after handing over the papers to the PM. Bandyopadhyay was accompanying her. Following the episode, the Centre recalled Bandyopadhyay asking the West Bengal government to release him. While Banerjee refused to release him, Bandyopadhyay was issued a show-cause notice under the Disaster Management Act.
After that, the IAS officer chose not to report to the Centre and retired on May 31.
The Centre’s decision to initiate action against him has been criticised by TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy. He said that the incident proves the Central government and the BJP try to get the job done through threat and intimidation.