Supreme Court Quashes Centre's Rejection of Abdur Rahman's VRS Request

The Supreme Court overturned the Centre's decision to reject IPS officer Abdur Rahman's voluntary retirement request, directing a reevaluation. Rahman faced disciplinary proceedings linked to his opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The ruling emphasized the importance of a genuine exercise of discretion in such matters.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside an order of the Ministry of Home Affairs which rejected the request of Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) of a 1997 batch Maharashtra cadre IPS officer as he was facing disciplinary proceedings for participating in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019 and in two other complaints.

A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe held that the Centre has the power to independently accept the VRS application under the All India Service (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules of 1958, but it was not unconstrained and is qualified. It said the Union government must examine the request of officer Abdur Rahman for VRS afresh, and a decision must be taken within three days.