Next Hearing Scheduled for December 19
Ranchi News: The Jharkhand High Court has taken a stern stand against the state bureaucracy for prolonged delays in amending the Jharkhand Engineering Service Rules. The court observed that the lack of concrete action since 2016 has stalled appointments and promotions in key engineering departments, including Road Construction, Water Resources, and Drinking Water & Sanitation. Terming the government’s approach as “lethargic,” the bench said the inaction has caused administrative paralysis.
A division bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice A.K. Rai heard 13 writ petitions filed by engineering cadre officials challenging the amended rules. During the proceedings, the court remarked that the repeated bottlenecks in the drafting process — stuck for years between the Law, Finance, Personnel, and Cabinet Secretariat departments — raise serious questions about the legal understanding and foresight of senior bureaucrats.
The bench also criticised the ongoing practice of running engineering departments through “charge” and “current charge” arrangements. It said assigning high posts such as Superintending Engineer to Assistant Engineers undermines administrative structure and violates the principles of good governance.
Refusing to grant the state government a fourth extension, the court directed that the revised rules must be finalised and submitted within two weeks. It further warned that any delay would invite contempt proceedings against the concerned Secretaries and Principal Secretaries.
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