Row hits Karnataka governor over ADC's promotion

Bhardwaj, a veteran Congressman and former central law minister, is said to be insisting on promoting the ADC K.C.V. Mane to the Indian Police Service (IPS) cadre though he is not eligible.

His recommendation has been rejected twice, once in 2010 by the then director general of police Ajay Kumar Singh and recently by his successor Neelam Achuta Rao.

While Bhardwaj’s office declined to comment on the reports published Tuesday, the governor found support from state Home Minister R. Ashoka. Ashoka told reporters here that Bhardwaj had only “suggested” and not “recommended” Mane’s promotion to IPS cadre.

He justified Bhardwaj’s action, saying "the governor has every right to make suggestions and recommendations". Ashoka acknowledged receiving the DGP’s rejection letter but said “it is the government’s decision and not DGP’s that will be final".

“In any case the final decision to grant IPS cadre rests with the central government. State governments can only recommend,” he said.

Mane is an officer in the Karnataka State Reserve Police “meant only for emergency duties”. These officers are to be armed with pistol or revolver, and lower rank personnel with rifles or lathis when called for duty. Hence they are also known as armed reserve police.

In the official lingo, it is called an "auxiliary" service and the state police rules and regulations do not allow change of cadre from armed police to civil police. Only civil police can be promoted to the IPS cadre, which is an all India cadre.

In spite of this, Bhardwaj “recommended’ Mane’s promotion to IPS cadre in May 2010 when B.S. Yeddyurappa was chief minister. Though Yeddyurappa government was willing to act on Bhardwaj’s letter, the then police chief shot down the proposal citing rules.

However after D.V. Sadananda Gowda took over as chief minister Aug 4, Bhardwaj again raised the issue. Following this, Ashoka wrote to the present police chief in early September to consider changing Mane’s cadre from armed to civil.

Rao too has taken the stand of his predecessor and told the government that the change cannot be effected and it was legally untenable.