Apex court rules in favour of a head constable who was sacked by CRPF despite his honest confession of a birth date mistake.
The Supreme Court came to the help of a head constable of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Angad Das, on Thursday as it castigated the authorities in power for their arrogant behaviour and vanity.
A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and AK Patnaik scrapped the orders passed by CRPF authorities in 1996 and 1997 terminating the services of Das for giving a birth certificate with wrong date of birth while joining the forces in 1969.
The court directed that Das be retired with all the benefits. Das had won promotions too and had an impeccable service record.
Das had in a letter, appealed to the CRPF DIG: “I am burdened with the responsibilities of educating and marrying off five daughters and I am the only earning member of my family.
According to Panchayat records, my date of birth is July 8, 1947, and I have a birth certificate from the village headman. I, therefore, with folded hands and touching your feet, pray that I may be allowed to complete the service. I may be awarded any other punishment instead. (If I lose job) seven people will be ruined and will resort to beggary.”
Das wrote this letter when his commandant served him a notice for giving a “false date of birth” while joining his job.
The SC said that by ignoring Das’s letter, the officer showed “arrogance” and ignored his humility.
According to SC, Das and his family “have suffered tremendous mental agony and harassment on account of the totally arbitrary orders” passed by the commandant and DIG.
He shall be paid all the pension benefits which have become due and payable to him, with interest at the rate of 9% per annum, within two months. The CRPF will also pay Rs 50,000 to Das in compensation.
“We trust the senior officials and hope that in future they will not be totally oblivious to the problems of humble and modest employees and pass such orders,” a concerned bench said, stressing that people in power and authority “should not easily lose equanimity, composure and appreciation for the problems of the lesser mortals”.
“The authorities are always expected to remember that power and authority must be judiciously exercised, and with human compassion. Arrogance and vanity have no place in discharge of their official duties,” the judges added.
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