A furious civil aviation minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday ordered the removal of Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) E.K. Bharat Bhushan and directed that a joint secretary in the ministry, Prashant Sukul, take over the post as an additional charge with immediate effect.
The order was swiftly complied with in a matter of minutes and Mr Sukul, an Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer of the 1982 batch, took over at the DGCA office — a stone’s throw from the civil aviation ministry — from a stunned Mr Bhushan who was caught completely unawares.
Well-placed government sources said the civil aviation minister was furious with the recent one-year extension granted to Mr Bhushan for additional charge as DGCA by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). Sources said the minister may not have been adequately consulted on the issue. Since the ACC is headed by the Prime Minister, the civil aviation minister has now also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explaining the circumstances in which he took the decision. The ministry is hoping that the ACC will eventually ratify the decision.