Sub-inspector gets salary, transfer to excise department 3 years after demise

In a bizarre incident, a government official has reportedly been transferred to another department three years after his demise.

The official in question is Sandeep Sabale, who is still employed with the Excise Department of Maharashtra Government as per official records.

Sabale, a Excise Inspector, was deployed at Daulat Co-operative Sugar Factory in Kolhapur since 2006. He met with a road accident, following which he passed away in July 2013.

But, according to government records, Sabale is still alive. Moreover, he was transferred to State Excise Vigilance Department in Nashik on July 3 and instructed to join immediately. The department in Nashik is still waiting for him to take charge since the last 2 weeks.

According to the transfer order, Sabale was relieved the officer from his current duty and instructed to take charge without any delay. It also stated that if he failed to join on time, he will not be paid his salary after 30 June, 2016.

The order was issued by Tanuja Dandekar, Additional Commissioner (administration), State Excise. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was overseeing the Excise Department for a month after Eknath Khadse resigned, approved the transfer.

Sabale’s wife, Varsha, informed Firstpost that in the three years since her husband’s demise, she has reached out to several departments for a job, but she is yet to get a favorable response. “It’s horrible to walk to every department to get a job. In the past three years, we lost everything. We are now financially very weak,” she added.

Sabale is survived by his wife and two young children, who have no other means of earning a livelihood.

State Excise Commissioner Vijay Singhal has said that he will take up the matter with the administration. Meanwhile, the post in Nashik that Sabale was appointed to is lying vacant as his predecessor was transferred in anticipation of his arrival.