The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court about plans for comprehensive reforms in its curriculum to enhance trainee IAS officers’ understanding of administrative law. This move aims to equip officers with the legal knowledge crucial for their duties.
Representing the Union government, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain stated on Thursday that LBSNAA already has faculty for administrative law and is open to making further improvements. The court’s inquiry arose from petitions filed by Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (HBVNL) employees, who alleged adverse impacts of service-related decisions made by senior IAS officers.
During proceedings, the High Court highlighted gaps in HBVNL’s decision-making processes, including orders issued without proper communication of their rationale, which undermines employees’ ability to appeal effectively. The court also questioned why administrative law and principles of natural justice are not mandatory in LBSNAA’s training modules.
In an earlier hearing, Krishna Dayama, representing the Centre, informed the court that administrative law is not currently part of the IAS training curriculum but steps are being taken to include it. The court also criticised public sector units and boards for their “let court decide” attitude, where adverse decisions against employees are passed without accountability, leading to increased litigation.
The next hearing is scheduled for November 18.
