New Delhi (10.11.2020): Analysis of Open-source intelligence (OSINT) reports indicates that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan's grip on administration may be waning with his rising age and diminishing vitality - a natural process that every politician, in particular, tend to reject, perpetually charmed as they are with power and the prestige that goes with it. This assessment may be spreading because it is generally agreed that one of the critical abilities of a CM in the country's cloak-and-dagger world of politicking in every government department is their ability to surveil and monitor their administration to ensure performance and avoid public embarrassment. It is here that the CM is seen as clueless, even though he may be politically as deft and nimble as he has always been. Without going into a detailed analysis, one has to look into the latest Supreme Court case where the state government's legal department was called 'incorrigible' and 'incompetent' - a rare event. Dismissing a Special Leave Petition of the state government in THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH & ANR. Petitioner(s) VERSUS CHAITRAM MAYWADE Respondent(s) (FOR ADMISSION and I.R. and IA No.67822/2020-CONDONATION OF DELAY IN FILING and IA No.67821/2020-EXEMPTION FROM FILING O.T. and IA No.67819/2020-PERMISSION TO FILE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS/FACTS/ANNEXURES), an SC bench of Justices Sanjay Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy also fined the state government with Rs 35,000 to be recovered from officers who sat on the files related to the case, remarking that the penalty would keep rising with each successive case filed belatedly by the state government. The court, which rarely uses harsh expressions, was so disturbed by the state government's legal department's delay of 588 days in filing the SLP that it also asked the Chief Secretary to revamp the department which is headed by Chouhan's close political associate Narottam Mishra, who also holds Home and other important portfolios. While the state CS may take his time to axe officials responsible for the extreme abdication of responsibility and revamp the legal department, but it may not be able to whitewash the blot on the face of the MP government and its popular CM affectionately called 'Mama' by the younger generation. Look at the Court's observations: "The State of Madhya Pradesh continues to do the same thing again and again and the conduct seems to be incorrigible! The Special Leave Petition has been filed after a delay of 588 days...the law department took almost about 17 months’ time to decide whether the petition had to be filed or not in the apex court. What greater certificate of incompetence would there be for the Legal Department.” Further, the Court pointed out that "We have also expressed our concern that these kinds of cases are only “certificate cases” to obtain a certificate of dismissal from the Supreme Court to put a quietus to the issue. The object is to save the skin of officers who may be in default. We have also recorded the irony of the situation where no action is taken against the officers who sit on these files and do nothing." (By M K Shukla)
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Intelligence: MP CM grip on adm seen waning
By M K Shukla - 2020-11-10 12:26:00
New Delhi (10.11.2020): Analysis of Open-source intelligence (OSINT) reports indicates that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan's grip on administration may be waning with his rising age and diminishing vitality - a natural process that every politician, in particular, tend to reject, perpetually charmed as they are with power and the prestige that goes with it.
This assessment may be spreading because it is generally agreed that one of the critical abilities of a CM in the country's cloak-and-dagger world of politicking in every government department is their ability to surveil and monitor their administration to ensure performance and avoid public embarrassment.
It is here that the CM is seen as clueless, even though he may be politically as deft and nimble as he has always been.
Without going into a detailed analysis, one has to look into the latest Supreme Court case where the state government's legal department was called 'incorrigible' and 'incompetent' - a rare event.
Dismissing a Special Leave Petition of the state government in THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH & ANR. Petitioner(s) VERSUS CHAITRAM MAYWADE Respondent(s) (FOR ADMISSION and I.R. and IA No.67822/2020-CONDONATION OF DELAY IN FILING and IA No.67821/2020-EXEMPTION FROM FILING O.T. and IA No.67819/2020-PERMISSION TO FILE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS/FACTS/ANNEXURES), an SC bench of Justices Sanjay Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy also fined the state government with Rs 35,000 to be recovered from officers who sat on the files related to the case, remarking that the penalty would keep rising with each successive case filed belatedly by the state government.
The court, which rarely uses harsh expressions, was so disturbed by the state government's legal department's delay of 588 days in filing the SLP that it also asked the Chief Secretary to revamp the department which is headed by Chouhan's close political associate Narottam Mishra, who also holds Home and other important portfolios.
While the state CS may take his time to axe officials responsible for the extreme abdication of responsibility and revamp the legal department, but it may not be able to whitewash the blot on the face of the MP government and its popular CM affectionately called 'Mama' by the younger generation.
Look at the Court's observations: "The State of Madhya Pradesh continues to do the same thing again and again and the conduct seems to be incorrigible! The Special Leave Petition has been filed after a delay of 588 days...the law department took almost about 17 months’ time to decide whether the petition had to be filed or not in the apex court. What greater certificate of incompetence would there be for the Legal Department.”
Further, the Court pointed out that "We have also expressed our concern that these kinds of cases are only “certificate cases” to obtain a certificate of dismissal from the Supreme Court to put a quietus to the issue. The object is to save the skin of officers who may be in default. We have also recorded the irony of the situation where no action is taken against the officers who sit on these files and do nothing."
(By M K Shukla)
