Durga Shakti Nagpal
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Durga Shakti Nagpal | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Years active | 2012 - current |
| Known for | IAS, Act against Corruption. |
| Spouse(s) | Abhishek Singh, IAS |
Durga Shakti Nagpal is an IAS officer (2009-batch).
Education
Durga Shakti Nagpal, rank of 20 (all India) in the UPSC examinations in 2010. She has spent over two years in Punjab as an officer-under-training with the Mohali administration.
Career
Ms. Nagpal was appointed as Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, after she change her cadre from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh. She came into public notice after acting against the sand mafia in Greater Noida,Uttar Pradesh, India. The 2009-batch IAS officer, posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gautam Budh Nagar, had clamped down on illegal mining and taken on the powerful sand mafia in her jurisdiction. She was suspended barely 10 months after she got her first posting in the state. Justifying the suspension of Ms. Nagpal, the government said in a statement that she was suspended for demolishing a wall at a disputed place of worship without following legal process.[1]
Controversies
Samajwadi party leader Narendra Bhati was peeved against the officer's drive against illegal mining and her strong action against the sand-mining mafia in the state, and is reportedly responsible for getting her abruptly suspended. Due to her percieved work against corruption, she falls into the list of civil services officers like Satyendra Dubey and Ashok Khemka who have fought against corruption in various levels of the Indian administration and have faced backlash for their work.[2][3]
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal came out in support of Ms. Nagpal on 29 July 2013. He said that the decision of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh clearly suggested that politics and politicians are turning dirty. Mr. Kejriwal maintained that whistle blowers and honest officers are not allowed to do their job freely. "Whatever took place with Durgaji is extremely wrong. She was raising her voice and acting against the sand mafia, this was her duty. How many officers are there in the country who work honestly against corruption today? The government should be supporting these officers instead of suspending her," he said.[4]
Social media and Kiran Bedi protested against the IAS officer's suspension.[5] The Samajwadi Party government has described the suspension of the officer as an 'administrative decision', as her orders to demolish a mosque could have caused communal tensions. Several IAS officers have now come out in support of Ms. Nagpal, and have asked the Chief Secretary to revoke her suspension.[6]
Samajwadi party supremo and the Chief minister of Uttarpradesh Akhilesh Yadav said initially that the suspension of Ms. Nagpal was an administrative decision. After the IAS officers' association protested on 29 July 2013, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary later said that the decision will be reviewed.[7]
PIL
The suspension order of Ms. Nagpal was challenged in the Allahabad High Court on 30 July 2013 through a Public interest litigation (PIL) plea. The petition, filed by social activist Nutan Thakur at the Lucknow bench of the court, is likely to come up for hearing on 1 August 2013.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "SDM leading crackdown on illegal mining suspended". Times of India.
- ^ "IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal suspended after clamping down on UP sand mafia". India Today.
- ^ "Local magistrate Durga leads clampdown on Noida's sand mafia". Daily Mail.
- ^ "Akhilesh in no hurry to revoke SDM's suspension". Indian Express.
- ^ "Kiran Bedi protest against IAS officer's suspension". One India.
- ^ "Opposition slam Nagpal's suspension". The Hindu.
- ^ "IAS officers rally around suspended officer; she took on sand mafia". NDTV.
- ^ "Petition seeks recall of suspended IAS officer". The New Indian Express.