Abhishek Upadhyay, a police constable allegedly appointed to the Madhya Pradesh Police in 2011, has allegedly received over Rs 28 lakh in salary over 12 years without attending a single day of duty or training.
This extraordinary administrative lapse allegedly came to light during a routine service record check in 2023, exposing severe flaws in the state’s payroll and attendance monitoring.
The case has triggered an official probe, with police officials acknowledging the oversight and promising action against those responsible, while the constable allegedly claims health issues as his reason for absence.
‘Salary Without Service’: How the Lapse Unfolded
Upadhyay was allegedly recruited in 2011 and posted to Bhopal Police Lines, after which he was supposed to undergo mandatory basic training in Sagar. Instead of reporting to the training centre, he allegedly returned to his hometown Vidisha and never reported for duty or submitted leave or medical documents.
Remarkably, he allegedly managed to remain on the government’s payroll by sending his service file back to Bhopal via speed post, claiming illness an explanation that was accepted without verification.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Ankita Khaterkar, who is investigating the case, said, “When his entire batch was sent [for training], he was on leave.
When he returned, he was sent separately but instead of going to the training centre, he went home to Vidisha”. For 12 years, Upadhyay allegedly continued to draw his salary, with no record of attendance or deployment in official files.
Discovery and Fallout
The discrepancy was allegedly discovered only during a routine review of the 2011 police batch in 2023, ahead of Upadhyay’s 10-year time-scale pay upgrade. The review revealed that there was no record of his attendance, training, or deployment.
When questioned, Upadhyay allegedly cited mental health issues following an accident, claiming a rod had been fitted in his leg and his “mental condition was not good”. However, he had not submitted any medical documentation at the time of his absence.
The case has since sparked a departmental investigation, with officials acknowledging that both the constable and those who failed to verify his absence will face action.
The incident has also highlighted broader systemic issues, as it follows recent revelations of nearly 50,000 government employees in Madhya Pradesh whose data is present in records but who have not withdrawn salaries since December 2024, pointing to both ends of a broken administrative system.
A Symptom of Deeper Systemic Flaws
This scandal has drawn attention to glaring loopholes in the state’s payroll and personnel management systems.
The fact that a constable could allegedly remain on the payroll for over a decade without fulfilling basic requirements such as training, attendance, or even formal leave application points to a lack of routine checks and balances.
The acceptance of Upadhyay’s service file without verification reflects a culture of bureaucratic complacency. The case has triggered calls for urgent reforms in monitoring and verification processes, with public trust in administrative transparency and accountability at stake.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need for robust accountability and transparency in public institutions. When such administrative failures go unchecked, they not only waste public resources but also erode trust in the system.
The Logical Indian urges authorities to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation, and to implement systemic reforms that prevent such oversights from recurring. How can public institutions strengthen their checks and balances to ensure that every rupee spent serves the public good?
