Monday, May 9 2005 16:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In the midst of a row over an IAS officer's letter questioning the role of Election Commission, Law Minister H R Bharadwaj today (May 9, 2005) reprimanded the civil servant for criticising a constitutional authority while debunking the claim that the letter was addressed to him.

On the letter of L V Saptarishi, Bharadwaj told reporters "I have no such letter. I cannot tell you if there is any other Minister under whom he is working and he has that letter. He can certainly call for his (the civil servant's) explanation."

Indicating that the bureaucrat might have breached the discipline by criticising the EC, the Law Minister said, "It is not proper for a civil servant to criticise any constitutional authority. They come under certain discipline and they should adhere to that."

Saptarishi, nearing his retirement, had claimed to have written a letter to Bharadwaj alleging that the repoll in Chhapra constituency, from where Railway Minister Laloo Prasad has been elected, was ordered last year (2004) at the behest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and had launched a broadside at the next Chief Election Commission over his alleged casteist remarks.

The IAS officer is at present working as Director General of the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), which comes under the Rural Development Ministry headed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.