Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to give post-retirement benefits to a West Bengal cadre IPS officer, dismissed in 2013 on corruption charges.
The IPS officer, Akbar Ali Khan, was dismissed following a disciplinary committee finding, which was later upheld by the administrative tribunal, leading to a protracted 11-year legal battle.
Considering that the officer has been out of employment for over a decade, a division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee observed the case was appropriate for the court... to end the protracted legal proceedings. “Taking into consideration the alleged misconduct, the petitioner should not be deprived of his terminal benefits, his only source of livelihood,” the HC said. The HC said he be provided with benefits, like EPF, gratuity, pension and leave encashment.
The disciplinary proceedings initiated against Khan in 2006 and the punishment order was passed on Feb 12, 2013. As the legal battle continued, Khan reached his retirement age on March 31, 2016. He was charged with being involved in a trade relating to purchase and sale of landed property and receiving unexplained cash benefits. The Inquiry Authority said he failed to produce supporting papers. But the HC said, “The punishment of dismissal was far too harsh...”