The Gujarat High Court, on Wednesday, refused to grant interim relief to IPS officer Rajnish Rai in a case related to his appointment as a faculty at Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A). Rai has objected to central government questioning his appointment.
Rai, an IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, had sought voluntary retirement from the service last year and had been recently appointed as an associate professor at IIM-A. However, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had questioned IIM-A's move for hiring an officer, suspended by the government. Against this action, Rajnish Rai had sought an interim relief. His lawyer Rahul Sharma told the court that the Centre had twice questioned IIM-A for hiring Rai as a faculty. Sharma also raised objections against the Central government's lawyer Nirzar Desai, for buying more time from the court.
The division bench comprising of High Court judges, justice S R Brahmbhatt and justice A P Thaker, said that the court would hear the arguments of government. It then adjourned the matter to August 5. Sharma told the court that the government was misleading it by seeking more time and is unnecessarily meddling with his client's employment.
Rai was posted at the Counter Insurgency and Anti Terrorism School of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). However, he sought voluntary retirement in November 2018. The central government rejected Rai's plea and ask him to continue with his duty. Rai challenged government action by filing a petition in Gujarat High Court saying that he should be treated as a retired officer and therefore allowed to take up an alternate job. IIM-A appointed him as a faculty about two months ago.
