Alapan Bandyopadhyay stays in Bengal, Centre mulls disciplinary action. What lies ahead?

Centre is now mulling action against Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay who did not report to the DoPT after being summoned by the Centre. But can the Centre take action against him?

West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was asked to report to DoPT in Delhi on Monday, which the IAS officer skipped and instead attended meetings at the Bengal secretariat. The Centre is now mulling disciplinary action against the top bureaucrat who is about to retire. But can the Centre take action against bureaucrats working with state governments? Citing the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bengal government had sought an extension for Alapan Bandyopadhyay, which the Centre had consented to only recently. As the confirmation came from the Centre, the Union government has the jurisdiction to cancel the extension.