DoPT trashes food ministry order, reinstates FCI executive director suspended in rice sale probe

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday cancelled a suspension order issued by the food ministry against an executive director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), declaring the order legally non-existent from the beginning. The rare move came just four days after the food ministry placed Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) officer Ashutosh Joshi under suspension following a probe into alleged irregularities in the sale of rice.

The DoPT order, issued on July 8, stated that “placing Ashutosh Joshi under suspension is treated as non-est,” meaning the suspension is considered void ab initio. The department ordered his immediate repatriation to his parent cadre, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The CAG had on Thursday requested the DoPT for the officer’s return.

The food ministry had initiated disciplinary proceedings against Joshi based on findings from a “neutral committee” that investigated the sale of rice under the Open Market Sale Scheme (domestic) by FCI’s Delhi region to the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC). The probe alleged irregularities, including diversion of rice.

Officials said the DoPT’s intervention is rare and underscores the friction between the two departments. The food ministry did not respond to queries on why its suspension order was treated as null and void.

In a related development, the food ministry on July 6 set up a four-member committee to review and restructure the organisational framework of FCI. The committee has been tasked to improve administrative efficiency, eliminate ambiguity in decision-making, and fix responsibility. It has been asked to submit its recommendations within six weeks, including a review of the functional responsibilities of executive director-level and other intermediary officers.

Four other FCI executives have also been suspended based on the same probe. Their fate remains unclear after the DoPT decision regarding Joshi.