NADRA fires deputy chief for misuse of power
Accused of overstepping mandate in exonerating a lady officer who faced inquiry
PHOTO: Nadra website
ISLAMABAD:
In a dramatic turn of events, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Friday dismissed its deputy chairman after declaring him guilty of misuse of powers and insubordination.
The authority handed over a major penalty – dismissal from service – to Deputy Chairman NADRA Syed Muzaffar Ali and issued a notification to this effect. The move was also against a lower court’s order in Islamabad that had restrained NADRA management on Friday from taking any such step.
Inquiry into misuse of powers was initiated by NADRA management on August 10, 2017.
The deputy chairman was accused of overstepping his defined administrative mandate in a case related to an inquiry against a junior staffer of the authority.
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The junior staffer, deputy assistant director Syeda Shaheen Bukhari, was slapped with a major penalty of dismissal from service by the NADRA in a case. However, deputy chairman converted that major penalty into a minor penalty of censure and then converted penalty of censure into exoneration.
NADRA management was of the opinion that deputy chairman had no powers to exonerate the lady officer in violation of the recommendation (of dismissal from service) of the authorised officer who conducted the inquiry against Bukhari.
While conducting this inquiry against deputy chairman, the NADRA management had at first sent Ali on a forced leave and then suspended him from service.
The deputy chairman had already been pursuing his cases against the incumbent NADRA management in Islamabad High Court and Lahore High Court.
Talking to The Express Tribune Deputy Chairman NADRA Syed Muzaffar Ali vehemently rejected the claim of misuse of authority leveled against him by the management.
He clarified that in case of Syeda Shaheen Bukhari he did not overstep his administrative powers, as he being deputy chairman was not bound, under the relevant government service rules, to implement recommendations of the authorised officer, who conducted inquiry against the lady officer.
“Section 5 of The Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1973 clearly states that the authority (in this case deputy chairman NADRA) shall pass such orders as it may deem proper,” he said, adding this rule does not bind authority to act in accordance with the recommendations of the authorised officer.
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He said in his opinion the harsh penalty of dismissal from service was recommended for the junior lady officer contrary to the fact that her act had not caused any financial loss to NADRA.
Ali also recounted several flaws and dissenting notes from the inquiry committee members, which probed the case of the junior lady officer.
He also termed his own dismissal from the service as an unlawful act, saying the NADRA management issued the orders hours after a lower court in Islamabad issued a stay order over the matter.
NADRA’s top management – especially its chairman and deputy chairman – had engaged in infighting soon after former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan quit the ministry. Deputy Chairman Syed Muzaffar Ali is said to be very close to former interior minister and used to act as de-fecto chairman during Nisar’s tenure.
A couple of months ago, in his statement before the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, NADRA Chairman Usman Yousuf Mobeen had stated that Syed Muzaffar Ali was appointed as deputy chairman on the ‘desire’ of former interior minister contrary to the fact there exists no such position in NADRA’s ordinance.
In a dramatic turn of events, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Friday dismissed its deputy chairman after declaring him guilty of misuse of powers and insubordination.
The authority handed over a major penalty – dismissal from service – to Deputy Chairman NADRA Syed Muzaffar Ali and issued a notification to this effect. The move was also against a lower court’s order in Islamabad that had restrained NADRA management on Friday from taking any such step.
Inquiry into misuse of powers was initiated by NADRA management on August 10, 2017.
The deputy chairman was accused of overstepping his defined administrative mandate in a case related to an inquiry against a junior staffer of the authority.
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The junior staffer, deputy assistant director Syeda Shaheen Bukhari, was slapped with a major penalty of dismissal from service by the NADRA in a case. However, deputy chairman converted that major penalty into a minor penalty of censure and then converted penalty of censure into exoneration.
NADRA management was of the opinion that deputy chairman had no powers to exonerate the lady officer in violation of the recommendation (of dismissal from service) of the authorised officer who conducted the inquiry against Bukhari.
While conducting this inquiry against deputy chairman, the NADRA management had at first sent Ali on a forced leave and then suspended him from service.
The deputy chairman had already been pursuing his cases against the incumbent NADRA management in Islamabad High Court and Lahore High Court.
Talking to The Express Tribune Deputy Chairman NADRA Syed Muzaffar Ali vehemently rejected the claim of misuse of authority leveled against him by the management.
He clarified that in case of Syeda Shaheen Bukhari he did not overstep his administrative powers, as he being deputy chairman was not bound, under the relevant government service rules, to implement recommendations of the authorised officer, who conducted inquiry against the lady officer.
“Section 5 of The Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1973 clearly states that the authority (in this case deputy chairman NADRA) shall pass such orders as it may deem proper,” he said, adding this rule does not bind authority to act in accordance with the recommendations of the authorised officer.
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He said in his opinion the harsh penalty of dismissal from service was recommended for the junior lady officer contrary to the fact that her act had not caused any financial loss to NADRA.
Ali also recounted several flaws and dissenting notes from the inquiry committee members, which probed the case of the junior lady officer.
He also termed his own dismissal from the service as an unlawful act, saying the NADRA management issued the orders hours after a lower court in Islamabad issued a stay order over the matter.
NADRA’s top management – especially its chairman and deputy chairman – had engaged in infighting soon after former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan quit the ministry. Deputy Chairman Syed Muzaffar Ali is said to be very close to former interior minister and used to act as de-fecto chairman during Nisar’s tenure.
A couple of months ago, in his statement before the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, NADRA Chairman Usman Yousuf Mobeen had stated that Syed Muzaffar Ali was appointed as deputy chairman on the ‘desire’ of former interior minister contrary to the fact there exists no such position in NADRA’s ordinance.