Mr. Shabbir Ali said that Section 3 (ii) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, clearly says ‘Every member of the Service shall maintain Political Neutrality’. But the actions of both District Collectors clearly exposed that they were not maintaining political neutrality. “The Chief Minister is also the president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Therefore, by bowing down and touching his feet, the District Collectors have conveyed a message to the common people that they were inclined towards the ruling party,” he said. The Congress leader alleged that by touching the feet of the Chief Minister at a public function, both Collectors had insulted the Constitution and behaved like political functionaries.

Source: The Hindu July 25, 2021 14:03 UTC