SC sets six-month deadline in ex-IPS Amitabh Thakur case
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre to conclude all the four pending disciplinary proceedings against former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur within six months.
Thakur, a 1992-batch UP cadre IPS officer, was compulsorily retired from service by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on March 23, 2021, under relevant rules and on the grounds that he was “unfit to be retained” in the public interest following multiple departmental inquiries and disciplinary complaints. Otherwise, he would have served till 2028. A partial working day (PWD) bench comprising justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdeva took note of the submissions of lawyer Ruchira Goel, appearing for the state government, that there were four disciplinary proceedings pending against Thakur.
The former IPS officer, on the other hand, alleged that the proceedings are being dragged on for the last 10 years despite him replying to the show-cause notices and consequently, his pending retiral dues, including Rs 10 lakh of gratuity fund, are still unpaid.
He urged the bench to direct the authorities to conclude the disciplinary proceedings in three months. The bench asked the Centre and the state government to conclude the proceedings in six months.
Thakur’s service was marked by long-standing friction with successive state governments.
In 2015, he was suspended after publicly releasing an audio recording of a threatening phone call allegedly made by Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
