Supreme Court restores job, benefits to IFS officer

The Supreme Court has turned saviour for promising Indian Foreign Service officer Mahaveer C Singhvi, who joined the cadre in 1999 and was sacked for misconduct in 2002. Singhvi was not given a chance to defend himself against allegations.

The court directed the Centre to reinstate Singhvi and give him promotions. The SC also upheld a Delhi high court order on Singhvi two years ago that had passed severe strictures on the government for “one-sided” assessments of subordinates, which have the potential to “destroy their careers and lives”.

Singhvi’s stint had some ‘episodes’ that his seniors seized on to ease him out. One was about a girl whose mother was desperate to see them married. When Singhvi’s family refused the match, the girl’s mother started bombarding the ministry with complaints, alleging that Singhvi had been stalking her daughter.

The ministry didn’t allow the officer to file a complaint against the girl’s mother for defaming him, but she got a “patient hearing” from his seniors. Though no departmental enquiry was ordered against Singhvi, the government said it was “thoroughly convinced” of his misconduct. His lawyer Jayant Bhushan said that by the time the termination order was passed, Singhvi had been a confirmed employee.

A bench of justices Altamas Kabir, JM Panchal and Cyriac Joseph quashed the termination order and ruled that “even a probationary officer cannot be sacked on grounds of misconduct involving serious moral turpitude”.

“He [officer] must be heard. That is important when the record shows that the opinion of seniors has gone from suspicion to absolute certainty,’’ the court said.

“A promising career is at stake. We are loath to permit the government to give him such short shrift, as they have obviously done,’’ HC had said.