Jammu, Feb 24: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jammu Bench, has declined to interfere with the suspension of five officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), who were placed under suspension after arriving 15 minutes late to office during a surprise inspection.
The Division Bench comprising Judicial Member Rajinder Dogra and Administrative Member Ram Mohan Johri observed that the action was part of an ongoing drive initiated by the Deputy Chief Minister to enforce punctuality and accountability in government offices.
According to the record, the officials were found absent from their seats during the Deputy Chief Minister’s surprise visit. Following the inspection, the department suspended them and reassigned their headquarters outside Jammu.
The suspended officials include:
- Rajinder Chopra, Section Officer – shifted to Doda
- Rajinder Sharma, Head Assistant – shifted to Poonch
- Mukesh Kumar, Draftsman (Civil) – shifted to Kishtwar
- Abhishake Saraf, Junior Assistant – shifted to Billawar
- Puneet Gandotra, GSA – shifted to Mahore
While hearing the plea, the Tribunal refused to stay the suspension orders, observing that it would not intervene in administrative measures aimed at ensuring discipline and improving public service delivery.
The Bench maintained that such steps are intended to strengthen accountability within the administration and serve the larger public interest.
