NEW DELHI: Invoking the authority of the Speaker, Lok Sabha secretariat has challenged an order issued by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) on a senior officer's deputation to the secretariat, terming the order "without basis" and demanding that it be modified.

The unusual letter was sent by Lok Sabha secretary general Anoop Mishra to cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth after D K Bhalla, a Nagaland cadre IAS officer of the 1986 batch, was appointed as secretary in the Lok Sabha secretariat. While approving the appointment, the ACC headed by the PM recommended that Bhalla should continue in his existing salary scale. However, the LS secretariat gave Bhalla, a joint secretary rank officer, the salary of a secretary to the central government.

"The orders of appointment of Bhalla as secretary in the Lok Sabha secretariat in the scale of Rs 80,000 (fixed) has been made with the orders of the Hon'ble Speaker and Bhalla would be eligible to draw the scale. The stipulation that he would carry his scale pay of the state government to the new assignment is without basis and, therefore, needs to be modified," the Lok Sabha secretary general's letter to the cabinet secretary said.

Lok Sabha sources argued that appointments in the LS secretariat were governed by Articles 91 and 98 of the Constitution under which Parliament, through the Speaker, was the sole authority to regulate appointments to its secretariat. "The government has no role in the appointments," they said.

TOI had reported on May 17 that the appointments of Bhalla and a senior executive in Lok Sabha TV had raised eyebrows in several quarters. Sumit Singh was appointed executive director (marketing and promotion) of Lok Sabha TV even though he did not have, documents show, the requirements mentioned in the advertisement.

Lok Sabha secretariat had dismissed criticism of the appointments, claiming they were according to laid down norms.

The LS secretary general's letter to the cabinet secretary was in response to an ACC order of February 23 which said Bhalla will carry "his scale pay of the state government to the new deputation assignment". Mishra pointed out that the "post of secretary, Lok Sabha secretariat, is in the scale of pay Rs 80,000 (fixed)".

Critics pointed out that awarding Bhalla a secretary's pay scale was against the ACC order.

Lok Sabha secretariat sources said Bhalla was drawing the pay scale of additional secretary after completion of 25 years of service on January 1, 2011, though he was yet to be promoted to the rank.