The Ministry has asked NCCT to start formal disciplinary proceedings against Ashwini Sharma, presently Deputy Director (Pers), NCCT, and a close associate of incumbent Secretary Mohan Mishra.
The matter relates to Ashwin Sharma’s appointment and his subsequent promotions. Vamnicom’s old hand Piyush Chattopadhyay is the complainant. Chattopadhyay practically fought with all the erstwhile Directors including Sanjeev Patjoshi of Vamnicom.
The Ministry’s letter says that it has received complaints from P Chattopadhyay and the matter has been examined in the Ministry in detail.
“It has been found that prima facie there appears that Ashwini Sharma, presently Deputy Director (Pers), NCCT, who was initially appointed on a contract basis, was adjusted in a substantive capacity by flouting/ circumventing Government rules while giving him various benefits with retrospective effect”, reads the letter.
Other subsequent promotions granted to him in the posts of Assistant Registrar and Deputy Director (Pers) were only a continuation of the initial irregularity, says the letter.
Concluding, the ministry asks “In view of the above, NCCT may start formal disciplinary proceedings through a detailed inquiry in the matter as per procedure laid down in the rules. In the meantime, Ashini Sharma should be moved to a non-sensitive position outside NCCT HQ.”
An action taken report may be furnished to the Ministry immediately, says the letter.
Defending himself Ashwini Sharma said to Indian Cooperative that he was appointed in 1990 on an ad-hoc basis as an Assistant. Later the DPC in 1997 approved his appointment, which was approved by the then Chairman of combined NCUI-NCCT. What is wrong in this?, he asked.
The CAG also looked into my appointment in 2014 and later in 2018 gave me a clean chit. Frustrated, he asked “Am I a scamster? How much money have I swindled? Actually, I am a victim of a fight between bigger entities”, he said without elaborating.