New Delhi: Government revoked the suspension of senior IAS officer G K Dwivedi on Wednesday in connection with the renewing of licence of an NGO run by controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, but kept him on “compulsory wait”.
Mr Dwivedi, a 1993 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, posted as Joint Secretary in Foreigners Division in the Home Ministry, was suspended along with three others on September 1, after it came to light that the licence of Islamic Research Foundation, headed by Naik, had been renewed in August this year.
Those suspended included two deputy secretaries and one section officer.
It was alleged that due diligence was not carried out before facilitating renewal of the licence given under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to the NGO of Naik, who has been accused of brain washing youths into joining terror groups. However, his organisation has denied all these charges.
According to the sources, the officer has been placed on compulsory wait with DoPT which means that he will not be posted in Home Ministry and will be either shifted to some other ministry or repatriated to his parent cadre. His central deputation ends in September next year.
The competent authority has approved placing the services of Dwivedi, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, on compulsory wait in the DoPT, from October 17, 2016, said an official order.
Representation were made by IAS officers’ association and some senior bureaucrats working in the Home Ministry, who had also vouched for his “integrity and hard work” and asked the government to revoke his suspension.
The action against Mr Dwivedi was taken after the Home Ministry found that Naik NGO’s licence was renewed by the Foreigners Division headed by him despite several ongoing probes, including one by it.
Upset over suspension, 15 Joint Secretaries in Home Ministry conveyed to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi that action against Dwivedi was “demoralising” and “harsh on an honest officer”.
The central IAS officers’ association had last month also asked the Centre to revoke the suspension of Dwivedi, saying it has led to “demoralisation” in the rank and file of the officers working in the central secretariat.
“Dwivedi is known for his integrity and hard work. In his last two years of his tenure he has implemented about 17 important initiatives of the government,” the association had said.
PTI