[ Amar Sangno ]
ITANAGAR, 6 Dec: Political high-handedness and influence over transfer and posting of deputy directors of school education (DDSE) in the education department is not less trickier and sensitive than the executive engineers of any works department in the state. The officers often end up in the court, seeking justice.
Political interferences in posting of DDSEs are wide open in the department, with the infamous transfer and posting episode of DDSEs Nyamo Rina and Pubi Lombi in the limelight.
The then Leparada DDSE Rina had sought the chief secretary’s intervention, claiming that the education department had mistreated him and unjustly deprived him of his right.
In his representation to the CS, Rina claimed that the education commissioner had passed an order on 21 November, 2023, which, he said, “favoured current DDSE Lombi, and is a deliberate misinterpretation and violation of the department’s order issued on 13 October, 2023 and the order passed by the Supreme Court in SLP (C) 22074/2023.”
Rina said that he was serving as the principal of the GHSS in Kanubari (Longding) for nine-and-a-half years, and was transferred as the Leparada DDSE on 15 November, 2022, and he had been directed to join in the last part of April, 2023.
Complying with the department’s order, Rina reportedly submitted his joining report to the deputy commissioner of Leparada district on 20 April, 2023.
Rina, however, alleged that, “due to interference by the local MLA of Basar, the department issued another order, on 20 April, 2023, posting Pubi Lombi, who was serving as the principal of Dani Kunia GHSS in Ziro (L/Subansiri) for four months, as the Leparada DDSE and directed that I be retained as the principal of the GHSS Kanubari.”
Reportedly, Lombi had been transferred as the principal of Dani Kunia GHSS on the same order date, 15 November, 2022.
Rina said he submitted a representation to the education commissioner for recalling the modified transfer order, stating that he is being “victimised and deprived.”
Rina later approached the high court and filed a writ petition, [(C) 199 (AP)/2023], before the single bench, challenging the order issued by the education commissioner on 20 April, 2023, while transferring Lombi as the Leparada DDSE. The high court stayed the modified transfer order.
However, the writ petition was dismissed by the single judge (vide order dated 11 July, 2023). Rina later filed a writ appeal (WA 266/2023) before the division bench of the high court. The division bench set aside the judgment of the single judge and the transfer order issued on 20 April, 2023, meaning that the earlier transfer order, issued on 15 November, 2022, by which he had been transferred as the Leparada DDSE came back into force.
In compliance with the division bench’s judgment, the department directed Rina to take charge and reposted Lombi as the principal of the Arunodaya GHSS in Itanagar. Rina took ex parte charge on 3 October, 2023, as the Leparada DDSE.
“There was no ambiguity in the order of the Supreme Court, as the order issued on 13 October, 2023 categorically stated to maintain the status quo,” Rina said.
He further said that he had been serving as DDSE when the Supreme Court issued the order to maintain the status quo, “but instead of favouring me, the education commissioner issued the order favouring Lombi to continue as the Leparada DDSE.”
On being contacted, Pubi Lombi said: “We are maintaining the status quo as per the honourable Supreme Court’s order.”
