As Mukul Goel Retires, Competency Should Undergo Institutional Churning And Not By Political Shadows
Competency is a rare bird in bureaucracy today, especially in Uttar Pradesh. The major question is who determines the competency- Institutions or the approval and validation of political shadows? Its true political bases wield their influential opinion over an officer's performance in her/his Annual Confidential Report and even take decisions at one end. On the other, we have institutions to give their opinion on an officer's conduct and consider her/his performance. However, the larger question is that is still politics, and political top brass's personal biases become markers in determining one's competence. The case of former DGP Mukul Goel, who is retiring tomorrow, is one standpoint.
It's the CM's discretion to whom he appoints a DGP after the UPSC panel, and the CM is even at his discretion in extraordinary circumstances to remove a DGP. But his discretion should be driven by genuine reasons and not by politics alone. Mukul Goel's removal has still not been given institutional clearance, which means UPSC is still doubtful about Goel's removal even though the UP Government has submitted a ballistic reply justifying Goel's removal. Top sources say that ever since Goel's removal, the DGP office in UP has lost its sheen, everyone is getting an additional charge, it appears that everyone and anyone can be DGP in UP. Institutional validation is a must in making decisions over an officer's career prospects or even in cases of removal, especially when dealing with top offices such as DGP, to maintain transparency. The institutional validation is somewhat missing in Goel's removal, which puts a top office in a vulnerable position of getting politically hunted. The case of Sanjay Kundu is another glimpse where the institutions and institutional mechanisms were kept on the back burner and political top brasses exercised their discretion in a politically driven fashion.
Working style can be different and problematic, but if an officer is delivering desired results, then there should not be unnecessary churning, a top source said. There must be transparency in exercising the CM's discretionary powers while removing a DGP because, in normal circumstances, the rules laid down by the SC won't allow a CM to remove the DGP in states where tenure is fixed for two years. Therefore, such an exercise of power becomes subject to the existence of extraordinary circumstances that warrant the removal of DGP. "It should not be the case that one fine morning, one is waking up and changing the DGP", a top source added.
Mukul Goel is a thorough gentleman, sagacious and down-to-earth officer who is also an expert in professional policing. The opinion can be conflicting in the state, but in the centre, Goel is considered a competent and professional IPS officer. "It is unfortunate to see that such officers became a subject of state centre ego clash, which has stalled the DGP selection in the state, a good place source said. Whatever the case, Goel, though, saw a sour note during the last few years of his service, but his integrity and professionalism are still intact and remembered in the power corridors.
