Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Jabalpur Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Wednesday questioned the functioning of the Central and State governments while hearing a petition filed by three 1998-batch State Police Service officers, granting them interim relief and issuing notices to both governments.
The officers have challenged their exclusion from consideration for induction into the Indian Police Service (IPS) after crossing the upper age limit of 56 years. They argued that the delay in conducting the mandatory cadre review, which is required every five years, directly resulted in their disqualification.
According to the petition, the cadre review due in 2018 was conducted only in 2022, leading to a four-year delay. As a result, the applicants crossed the prescribed age limit and lost their opportunity for IPS induction despite fulfilling all other eligibility criteria. The officers have completed 26 to 27 years of service.
Advocates Pankaj Dubey and Akshay Khandelwal, appearing for the petitioners, contended that the officers should not suffer due to administrative lapses. They described the delay as a clear failure of governance and sought appropriate relief.
Taking note of the arguments, the Tribunal observed a prima facie case in favour of the applicants and directed that status quo be maintained. It also issued notices to the Central and State governments, seeking their responses.
Legal experts believe the order could set an important precedent in addressing administrative delays and ensuring accountability in similar cases.
