VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, July 2: The Jharkhand government has recommended the name of Gopalji Tiwari and 119 other officials of the state civil service cadre for their promotion to the IAS cadre. Besides, the names of Balkishun Munda, AK Satyajit, Shekhar Jamuar Shailesh Kumar and others figure in the recommended list.
“A couple of days back the list of the officials was sent to the Union Public Service Commission. There are 40 vacant posts of IAS for which 120 names have been sent which is three times the actual number of vacant posts. The recommendation has been sent year-wise. Promotion is done on the basis of the career record of the concerned officials. A committee consisting of the chief secretary of the state, a senior IAS and a representative of the UPSC decides the promotion,” said a senior official of the state government.
The official said that if the concerned official recommended for promotion is facing any kind of proceeding then the same is mentioned,” an official of the state government said.
However, the official did not explain whether the selection committee can actually recommend any official who is facing any departmental and criminal inquiry. But an IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre said that as a matter of practice the state government drops such names.
Gopalji Tiwari is facing an allegation of corruption and the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has sought the permission of Chief Minister Hemant Soren to lodge a regular FIR of the disproportionate assets against him.
Gopalji Tiwari served as Officer on Special Duty of the chief minister for a couple of months. But he had to quit as the chief minister apparently came to know about his alleged corrupt practices. The ACB has concluded that there was enough material evidence against Gopalji Tiwari to start a criminal proceeding. Since he is a government official permission for the prosecution is required.
In July 2020, the ACB lodged a preliminary inquiry against him for allegedly accumulating disproportionate assets.
Notably, Hemant Soren after assuming the charge of the chief minister appointed Gopal Ji Tiwari as his OSD. He was holding the post of joint secretary in the road construction department as well. But in July 2020, he requested the CM to relieve him as OSD as he came to know that the CM has received complaints about his alleged disproportionate assets. The CM could hardly afford to keep an official in his administrative group facing charges of corruption. Hence, he ordered the ACB to probe the matter.
On June 19, 2020, Jharkhand High Court Rajiv Kumar met Soren and submitted documentary evidence about the properties allegedly raised by Gopal Ji Tiwari. The lawyer claimed that Gopal Ji Tiwari misused his office and raised disproportionate assets worth around Rs 21.55 crore.
The official is accused of making huge investments in purchasing land and housing properties. Rajiv Kumar said that Gopal Ji Tiwari was instrumental in the formation of the company Kingsley developers where his son is a partner. The office of the said company was said to be situated at Ashok Nagar in Ranchi. Land measuring 136 decimal worth Rs 9.5 Crore was purchased in the name of the company at Morabadi.
The lawyer alleged that Gopal Ji Tiwari raised landed properties in the name of his relatives at Hochar and Van Vrindawan in Morabadi locality.
