New Delhi: Dr Paresh Saxena, a senior IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, has returned the President’s Police Medal citing repeated denial of empanelment to the post of additional director under the 360-degree review of civil servants introduced in 2020, which according to him, is “shrouded in secrecy,” ThePrint has learnt.
Saxena, an Inspector General-rank officer of the 1994-batch currently posted in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), while maintaining that he is not aware of the reasons why he has been denied empanelment since 2022, in a letter to the President in February this year accused senior IPS officers of running “a malicious campaign” against him.
Among those he accused is a now-retired IPS officer who Saxena said made several unfounded allegations against him in his appraisal reports, including that he has “a deep base in RSS”.
The retired IPS officer served as director general (DG) of the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) when Saxena was posted there in 2022.
“The empanelment process is shrouded in secrecy, but it’s understood that feedback is gathered from serving and retired officers who have worked with the candidate,” Saxena wrote in the letter to the President. Adding, “In the rigidly hierarchical CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces), the DG serves as the sole spokesperson for juniors before top bureaucracy and DIB, who ultimately decide on empanelment.”
According to the letter, the “narrative initiated” by the retired IPS officer that Saxena has a “deep RSS base” gathered steam, and after his retirement successive DGs too “misrepresented” Saxena as a “rigid and uncooperative officer (who) misled his superiors and intimidated colleagues and subordinates”.
This, he said, was due to the “camaraderie among Chiefs of CAPFs from the same batch”.
“When the ADG and DG visited me after my mother’s passing, they became aware of my family background,” he wrote in the context of the allegation that he had an RSS background. Adding, “Despite my personal beliefs never impacting my professional conduct as an IPS officer, the DG’s disapproval led to a malicious proposal for my repatriation.”
“Fortunately, his recommendation was rejected (vide MHA Order dated 14 December 2018), allowing my lateral shift from BPR&D to SSB,” Saxena wrote in the letter.
After his name was announced for the President’s Medal for Distinguished Services this Republic Day, Saxena was optimistic about his empanelment, he said. Despite that his name was not in the empanelment list even though he has been serving in the Centre since 2018, he wrote.
Adding, “I am unclear about the reasons for denying my empanelment, based on the multi-source feedback (MSF) or 360-degree process, which does not share the grounds for rejection with affected officers.”
“The lack of communication regarding the grounds for denial has left me feeling utterly demoralized over the past two years,” he wrote.
When contacted by ThePrint, Dr Paresh Saxena refused to comment on the matter.
Requesting for repatriation of his cadre, Saxena wrote to the President: “I am compelled to return the coveted Medal for Distinguished Services (PSM) awarded by the Hon’ble President of India, as it would be inconsistent for me to accept it after being denied empanelment unfairly.”
Allegations levelled by Saxena
According to Saxena, when he was posted in the SSB, he investigated three important cases of corruption, which antagonised a section of cadre officers of the force, who he said, were already upset with an old Supreme Court ruling which had upheld the deputation of IPS officers in the CAPFs.
The first, he said, involved the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) scam, which implicated persons of all ranks, including at least two former DGs.
The second, he said, was regarding procurement of I-CAS, an AI-based intelligence collation and analysis software procured from a private firm for approximately Rs 3.68 crore on 4 October, 2019, but never operationalised. “My detailed inquiry report (512 pages) was submitted on 15 December, 2021, highlighting how six officers made a vendor-driven procurement in complete disregard of procedure and by misinforming the MHA,” the letter alleged.
Saxena also presided over a General Force Court, trying charges of corruption against a DIG-level officer, he wrote in the letter, adding that he sentenced the officer to imprisonment and dismissal on 30 June, 2021, and the officer served his sentence at Tihar Jail.
“Some senior officers, after being found culpable in the vigilance enquiry, submitted multiple false complaints to the DGs and MHA, both verbally and in writing, including pseudonymous complaints, and reportedly a PIDPI (Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers) complaint,” Saxena wrote to the President in February.
“The top leadership of SSB failed to make timely and consistent decisions on vigilance findings and recommendations in these matters, allowing disgruntled officers to spread false information about me,” he added. “DGs’ indecisiveness contributed to an adverse narrative against me, potentially impacting my empanelment and career progression in the GoI.”
Reiterating that no reason was given to him for the denial of empanelment, Saxena wrote: “Continuing to serve the Government of India under these circumstances would compromise my dignity.
“Therefore, I am left with no choice but to opt for repatriation to my parent cadre.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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