By Patricia Mukhim
The MDA-2 Government is led by a bright young politician with degrees in Finance from foreign universities but is assisted by a bunch of other ministers whose only credential is that they have learnt how to buck the system to keep winning elections. Some ministers have protected dishonest and corrupt officers as long as they serve their personal needs. And the intelligent Chief Minister looks on!
Today this article will focus on how the Government of Meghalaya has literally allowed a 1993 batch Indian Forest Service Officer – MBK Reddy to remain untouched despite the many occasions when he has broken the law and has a string of cases against him. Reddy belongs to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and has served in Meghalaya for the longest time. In 2011, he was convicted by the CBI Court, Indore and the punishment was rigorous imprisonment for 2 years plus fine for indulging in corrupt practices in the Civil Services Examination 1996. Imagine a guy who gets into the Indian Forest Service through cheating, thereby breaching the integrity of a prestigious Examination. Reddy had managed to get a copy of the question paper in advance and taken pre-written answer sheets to the examination hall, where he was caught red handed by the invigilator. He confessed to his crime. During the course of investigation, CBI arrested Reddy and he spent 15 days in prison as an under-trial prisoner in 1997 before he was released on bail.
Reddy filed an appeal against the conviction order which was rejected by the Sessions Court, Indore in 2013. Reddy was sent to the jail to undergo his prison term After spending 16 days in the Indore Central Jail as a convict, Reddy got out on bail granted by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Hence his sentence is merely suspended pending the hearing and disposal of the Review Petition filed by him. But his conviction still stands. And he is still serving his sentence.
In 2017 the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India instituted Disciplinary Proceedings (DP) against Reddy to dismiss him from service on account of his conviction on criminal charges. Incidentally the same was set aside by the Guwahati Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on grounds that the Government of Meghalaya is the competent authority to institute Disciplinary Proceedings. An appeal against the CAT ruling filed by the MoEFCC in the matter was disposed of by the Meghalaya High Court vide Judgment dated July 5, 2022 with a direction to the Government of Meghalaya to institute suc proceedings against Reddy within a month.
Meanwhile aggrieved by the Meghalaya High Court decision, MoEFCC filed a Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 19363 of 2023 before the Supreme Court. The main contention of the case is that the Union of India is the competent authority to institute Disciplinary Proceedings as the offence for which Reddy has been convicted was committed by him while he was undergoing probationary training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehra Dun. All respondents in the matter have already filed their replies before the Supreme Court. The SLP was last listed for haring on April 02, 2025.
In compliance with the directions of the Meghalaya High Court vide Judgment dated July 5, 2022 the Meghalaya Government instituted disciplinary proceedings against Reddy with a penalty of reduction by one stage in the existing grade and withholding of increments for three years without cumulative effect. On receipt of the case records, the UPSC has advised that defects in the disciplinary proceedings instituted against Reddy in compliance with the Judgment of the Meghalaya High Court should be removed by issuing a fresh office memorandum to propose a penalty of dismissal from service, as is applicable in cases involving conviction of a government servant on criminal charges. The advice of the UPSC is binding on the State Government but in case the State Government does not agree with advice of the UPSC, the same needs to be communicated to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) – the Cadre Controlling Authority for the Indian Forest Service. The decision of the Government of India on the matter will be final. In case the Government of India also disagrees with the advice of the UPSC, the same along with the reasons thereof needs to be provided to the UPSC for incorporation in its Annual Report to be presented to the President of India for placing the same before both Houses of Parliament. Strangely the Government of Meghalaya has sat on this file since it received the advice from the UPSC on may 1, 2025. The timelines stipulated by the Government of India to complete the disciplinary proceedings against Reddy have expired long ago.
The question her is What vested interest does Meghalaya Government have in protecting MBK Reddy and why?
Meanwhile, in compliance of a recommendation of the Estimate Committee of the Lok Sabha, the MoEFCC, GoI, Cadre Controlling Authority for the Indian Forest Service, is repeatedly insisting that all the 4 promotions given to Reddy during pendency of criminal charges against him and 2 promotions obtained by Reddy after his conviction by the CBI court should be withdrawn by holding a review Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC)and he should be brought back to the position of Assistant Conservator of Forests which he would have held but for these erroneous promotions. The last communication was made on July 28, 2025.
Now Reddy has demonstrated strange behaviour while undergoing probationary training for the Indian Forest Service at the IGNFA, Dehradun. He absconded from the training. On account of his long unauthorised absence, Reddy was found unfit and discharged from the service in 1996. However in 1999 Reddy was reinstated into the service with all consequential benefits by the Andhra Pradesh High Court vide a brief order, without going into the merits of his discharge. The Central Government too reinstated him into the service without contesting the said order which did not go into the merits of his discharge from service.
Hence Reddy is the only officer in the country who not only continues in service but has also obtained regular promotions and annual increments without completing the mandatory probationary training and without passing the mandatory departmental examination so far.
Prior to absconding from the Probationary Training at the IGNFA, the anti-dowry cell of the Andhra Pradesh Police from Hyderabad arrested him in a dowry harassment case filed by his then wife. Then too, Reddy spent several days in police custody and judicial custody as an under-trial prisoner. Reddy was acquitted from the charges in the dowry harassment case on the basis of a certificate from a medical practitioner declaring him as impotent. With that certificate Reddy proved that his estranged wife delivered a baby out of the wedlock and hence is a woman of loose character. Strangely, Reddy, despite being certified impotent by a medical practitioner, was recently blessed with a daughter from his current wife, who he married a few years ago.
In another startling development the period spent by Reddy in the Indore Jail as a convict has been regularised as ‘leave’ by the Government of Meghalaya and he has drawn leave salary for the said period spent by him in the Indore Central Jail. Similarly, Reddy has also drawn salary for the period spent in the jail as an under-trial prisoner in both the UPSC cheating as well as dowry harassment cases on the basis of the order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which reinstated him with all consequential benefits.
As per guidelines issued by the Government of India, a convicted officer like Reddy cannot hold any sensitive post especially those dealing with public funds, settlement of tenders and exercise of discretionary powers.
Instead of complying with the directions of the Government of India to withdraw all the six promotions by holding the review DPC and to remove defects in disciplinary proceedings instituted against him by proposing imposition of a penalty of dismissal from service and referring the matter to the Government of India for making the order to dismiss him from service to render him ineligible for any future engagement under the Government and also to avail pension and gratuity, on receipt of advice from the UPSC as to the nature of penalty to be imposed on Reddy, the Meghalaya Government has done the opposite. It has placed almost the entire natural wealth of the State under the control of Reddy by appointing him to the posts of Principal Secretary, Mining and Geology Department (August 8, 2025) and Forest and Environment Department (November 17, 2025), in flagrant violation of the guidelines prohibiting convicted officers from holding sensitive posts.
As a Principal Secretary to the Forest and Environment Department, Reddy is expected to comply with the directions of the MoEFCC to hold a review Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) to withdraw all the 6 promotions obtained by him so far in violation of the DPC guidelines. He is also responsible for complying with the advice of the UPSC to rectify shortcoming in the disciplinary proceedings instituted against him in compliance with directions issued by the Meghalaya High Court vide judgment dated July 06, 2022 by issuing a revised Office Memorandum to propose the penalty of his dismissal from service.
Instead MBK Reddy is placed in a position where he will misuse the powers and authority vested on him in the post of Principal Secretary to the Forest and Environment Department, not just to delay and derail all actions against him, but also to weaken the case against him. He is now in a position to destroy all documentary evidence against himself and that cannot be ruled out.
By taking advantage of pendency of proceedings before the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in the Criminal Revision Petition (CRR) No. 966/2013, and also before the Supreme Court in SLP (C) No. 19363/ 2023, MBK Reddy with the connivance and support of his backers, both within and outside the Government of Meghalaya has not only successfully played with the prestige and respect for Constitutional, Judicial, Parliamentary and Administrative authorities but has also made a mockery of the rule of law, at a great cost to the public probity and State exchequer.
So who in the Government of Meghalaya today is benefiting from all this chicanery? Or Should we call its skullduggery?
