In a rarest of rare case, and arguably the first of its kind in the State, an IPS officer of the 1987 batch Gupteshwar Pandey has been reinstated by the Nitish regime nearly nine months after he opted for VRS.
Posted as IG (Security) in the State Police Headquarters, Pandey took VRS on March 14, 2009, when he was reportedly promised a Lok Sabha ticket by the BJP from the Buxar constituency.
Pandey’s desire to enter Parliament went for a toss when the saffron party denied him the ticket at the last moment.
Left in the lurch, the IPS officer petitioned the Bihar government for his reinstatement. Highly-placed sources said reinstatement after voluntary retirement was not a joke.
“Since the President of India is the appointing authority of such officers, approval from Rashtrapati Bhavan was mandatory,” argued a senior police official who did not wish to be identified.
Home Commissioner Amir Subhani, however, confirmed that the government had reinstated Pandey under relevant rules. “A notification has been issued after completing all the formalities,” he added.
Bihar DGP Anand Shankar said he had received a copy of the notification. “Pandey will get a posting soon,” he said.
Sources in the Home Department said though the VRS application of Pandey was accepted by the government, it was not forwarded to the Centre, which is the appointing authority of officials of All-India services like IAS and IPS. Sources also said Pandey’s track record also worked in his favour.
The IPS officer, who served as SP in crime-infested areas and Naxal-belt, used to move on bicycle along with his bodyguards so as to instill confidence among the people of the district.
Always short of competent officers, the Bihar government eventually deemed it fit to reinstate Pandey who made an unsuccessful attempt to change colours from khakhi to khadi.