Patna High Court Orders Reinstatement of CRPF Personnel Dismissed for Taking Care of Ailing Mother

The Patna High Court has reinstated CRPF personnel Sumit Kumar, who was dismissed in 2013 for unauthorized absence while caring for his cancer-stricken mother. The court directed CRPF to reinstate him and extend monetary benefits, setting aside a 2019 single bench order that upheld his dismissal.

The Patna High Court has taken a sympathetic stand, ordering the reinstatement of CRPF personnel Sumit Kumar, dismissed for his unauthorized absence in 2013. The court ruled that Kumar's 196-day absence while caring for his cancer-stricken mother should be treated as leave.

In its August 13 order, a division bench comprising Justices P B Bajanthri and Alok Kumar Pandey also directed the CRPF to implement the reinstatement within three months and to extend the relevant monetary benefits to Kumar.

The court noted that Kumar had repeatedly sought leave extensions and that his absence could not be equated with unauthorized absence. This decision overturns a 2019 single bench order that upheld Kumar's dismissal following a departmental inquiry.

(With inputs from agencies.)