These are the cases of “missing” IAS officers in Uttar Pradesh. These officers proceeded on leave initially and then never returned. Some did apply for extension of leave but never bothered to ascertain whether or not their leave had been granted.
“Officially, we have no information about these officers though personally we do know that they are working in foreign organisations and raking in big money,” said a senior official in the UP appointment department.
The most high-profile case is that of Dr Surya Pratap Singh, a 1982-batch IAS officer. Dr Singh left UP on study leave in 2004 for three years and remained abroad for nine years. He did apply for extension of leave in 2007 but the same was never granted and Dr Singh did not bother either.
He finally returned a few months ago and the Akhilesh government, in a generous mood, appointed him as principal secretary of the industrial development department without asking any questions. The case of Dr Singh has now been challenged in the high court through a PIL.
Another case is that of Mr Shishir Priyadarshi, a 1980-batch officer, who left the state on a one-year deputation in 1997 to work in the World Trade Organisation. He applied for extension of leave in September 2008 and went back without waiting for clearance. He has not returned since.
Mr Atul Bagai, a 1983-batch officer, is also working in an international organisation in Thailand and the UP IAS gradation list shows him as “in waiting” since 2010. Mr Bagai had left on Central deputation in 1995 and has not returned to UP after that.
The Uttar Pradesh government has also been waiting for Mr Sanjeev Ahluwalia, a 1980-batch officer, who went to Sudan in 2005 as a consultant with the World Bank for one year. He has not returned since.
Apart from these IAS officers, two IPS officers have also been playing truant in the state government.
Dr Kiran Jadhav, a 1991 IPS officer, returned from Central deputation in 2007 and after reporting back, he has gone “missing”.
Another IPS officer Dawa Sherpa left his duties in the state to contest Lok Sabha elections in 2009 on a BJP ticket from Darjeeling.
He had a change of heart and returned to Uttar Pradesh and resumed duty. The state government happily decided to forgive and forget.
A senior bureaucrat termed these instances as “unpardonable” and blamed the state government for not taking timely action against these officers.