A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma sought response from the Union Cabinet Secretary and respective Chief Secretaries on the petition jointly filed by 83 former bureaucrats through counsel Menaka Guruswamy.
"There is an urgent need to make the civil servants accountable, sensitive and responsive. If this is achieved, there will be across-the-spectrum benefits. At present, the system of transfers, postings, promotions, disciplinary action and other personnel matters pertaining to the higher civil services are ad-hoc and non-transparent.
"Transfers are often used as instruments of reward and punishment, with officials being frequently transferred on the whims and caprices, as well as the personal needs, of local politicians and other vested interests. Officers, especially those in the All India Services serving in state governments, have no stability or security of tenure, " the petition said.
The PIL submitted civil servants at all levels should be given a minimum three-year fixed tenure in each post to foster functional freedom and independence.
Published 04 March 2011, 13:16 IST