MUMBAI: Uncertainty over cabinet expansion was confirmed on Friday following a six-line order issued by chief secretary Manukumar Srivastava. On the directives of chief minister Eknath Shinde, Srivastava stated bureaucrats have been entrusted with quasi-judicial powers enjoyed by cabinet members until further orders.
As per practice as well as rules, ministers and ministers of state are entrusted with quasi-judicial powers. They have powers to hear appeals as well as review applications, pass interim orders and orders on urgent applications. Now, an additional chief secretary, principal secretary and secretary of the concerned department is given these powers.
A senior bureaucrat said Srivastava’s order indicates the chances of cabinet expansion in the near future are bleak. “Instructions are clear that in the absence of cabinet members, the common man should not suffer. Therefore, the quasi-judicial powers have been given to bureaucrats,” he said.
Elaborating on the powers, the bureaucrat said orders passed by district collectors, superintendents of police, food and drug administration and deputy registrars of cooperative society are challenged before the cabinet members for disposal.
“If a ration shop’s licence is suspended by a district collector or that of a medical store by the FDA, the cabinet member is the competent authority to pass an appropriate order,” the senior bureaucrat said.
