IAS officer removed before Jharkhand polls reinstated as Ranchi DC
What's the story
The Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand has reinstated Manjunath Bhajantri as the Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi. The decision came soon after Soren was sworn in as chief minister. Bhajantri, a 2011 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was first appointed to the position on September 30, ahead of the assembly elections. However, he was removed on October 15 after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer and transferred to Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society as CEO.
Official confirmation
Bhajantri's reinstatement confirmed by official notification
Bhajantri's return to his old post was confirmed by a notification from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms. The notice read, "Chief Executive Officer of Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) Manjunath Bhajantri has been transferred and appointed as Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi, till further orders." Meanwhile, Varun Ranjan, a 2014 batch IAS officer who was serving as Ranchi DC in Bhajantri's absence, has been transferred to Jharkhand Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation as Managing Director.
New role
Ranjan to hold additional charge as Commissioner of Mines
Ranjan will also have an additional charge as Commissioner of Mines. During Bhajantri's tenure as Deoghar DC, he had alleged that BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and eight others had entered the ATC room in the Deogarh airport and forcibly took clearance for their chartered flight beyond the scheduled time in August 2022. Dubey also filed an FIR against Bhajantri, accusing him of sedition and breaching the Official Secret Act. The Jharkhand HC, however, quashed the FIR in August.