Delhi High Court Quashes DANIPS, DANICS Amendments for Arbitrariness

The Delhi High Court upheld the annulment of 2022 amendments to service rules for DANIPS and DANICS due to arbitrary policy changes. It instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs and DoPT to address the anomalies within two months while maintaining January 1 as the date for determining approved service.

The Delhi High Court has confirmed the cancellation of controversial 2022 amendments regulating the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS) and the Civil Service (DANICS). The amendments were deemed arbitrary after the Union Government failed to justify the shift of the key date for promotion eligibility from January 1 to July 1.

The High Court's ruling supports the earlier decision by the Central Administrative Tribunal, which had struck down the Gazette Notifications introducing the amendments. The court also instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to undertake a detailed review and establish an appropriate mechanism within two months. Until new amendments are introduced, January 1 will remain the date for determining 'approved service' for DANIPS and DANICS officers.

This dispute stems from the 2022 amendments alleged to correct anomalies by aligning the cut-off date with that of 'approved service'. However, the High Court found the amendments discriminatory and unsupported by rationale, thus justifying judicial intervention. It emphasized that arbitrary policies impacting promotion and induction into the Indian Police Service (IPS) contravene constitutional guarantees.