CAT stays suspension of IAS officer who checked PM Modi’s helicopter in Odisha

Bhubaneswar/Bengaluru: The Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) Bengaluru bench today stayed the Election Commission order suspending IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin who was suspended for checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter in Odisha.

Staying the suspension, the CAT said, “it cannot be said that SPG Protectees are eligible for anything and everything” and that “election officials have checked private vehicles of Karnataka Chief Minister Shri HD Kumaraswamy more than once and no action followed… the Chief Minister of Odisha’s vehicles were also checked.”

“The suspension order issued by the Election Commission cannot, on the face of it, lie. It is hereby stayed. Applicant will be eligible to re-join his former position under the government of Karnataka without any further ado about it,” said Tribunal Member K.B. Suresh in the order.

Also Read: Poll official suspended for checking Modi’s helicopter in Odisha

The CAT has asked both sides to respond to its observations in three weeks.

The bench also ordered an issue of notice to the EC and “four others” and posted the matter for further hearing on June 3 after the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The tribunal said the applicant will be eligible to rejoin his former position under the Karnataka government “without any further ado about it”.

Also Read: IAS officer suspended for checking Modi’s helicopter asked to leave Odisha soon

Mohsin, a 1996 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer posted as a General Observer in Sambalpur, was suspended on April 17 and later transferred back to Karnataka.

The EC took action against the IAS officer citing he had “not acted in conformity with the ECI’s instructions” that have made an exception for SPG protectees like the Prime Minister.