Back To Service: Supreme Court Restores Job Of CRPF Personnel After 38 Years

The Supreme Court restored the job of a Central Reserved Police Force Personnel After 38 years since the Centre lacked evidence against him. The CRPF personnel was evicted from his services after he allegedly remained absent from duty and indulged in quarrels with civilians under the influence of alcohol. The Apex Court restored his job and all the consequential benefits from 1984, including a pension but no back wages.

Centre Denied The Suggestion Of Paying A Lump Sum

The twin-judge bench led by Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh passed the judgment favouring the paramilitary force personnel who attained their retirement age in 2010. However, the Centre had declined the Court's suggestion that the government pay him a lump sum amount to close the litigation since he could not join the force anymore. The Court granted him relief as the government failed to place the case record and justify that the concerned authority followed a due procedure of law before terminating him from his job, The Times of India reported.

'Neither Received Copy Of Order, Nor A Chance To Defend'

The aggrieved paramilitary personnel, Balwant Singh, alleged that he was neither given a copy of the report against him nor given a chance to defend himself. Moreover, he also alleged that the dismissal order was passed in violation of natural justice. Therefore, the top court asked the Centre to place the record of the events that transpired and led to the dismissal of the personnel; however, the Centre mentioned that it could not produce the necessary documents and that it was not possible to retrieve the records, as they stood 'weeded out'.

Therefore, the Court reprimanded the Centre for not taking a practical approach to remuneration in such cases since restoring a job would lead to higher financial implications.

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