New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Odisha government to pay Rs 25 lakh as full and final payment to a police constable who was discharged from service about 30 years back on failing to meet the height criteria. He had served the police force for around 10 months.
The constable, Dolamani Bisi, is now about 55. He was discharged from service in 1995. “We are of the opinion that the interest of justice will be subserved if we grant substantial compensation to the respondent (Bisi). We direct the petitioner (Odisha government) to pay an amount of Rs 25,00,000 to the respondent as full and final payment towards all subsisting and future claims that may arise,” the two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Manoj Misra, observed, reported The New Indian Express.
According to the former constable’s petition, he was appointed as a temporary constable on July 16, 1993. His appointment was subject to verification of his character and other antecedents. He joined the service on March 15, 1994. On scrutiny, it was found he was short of the specified height. This led to his discharge from service.
The apex court also, in its order, observed that it would not be appropriate to reinstate him as he had been out of service from May 31, 1995 till date for more than three decades. The SC mentioned that the order should not be taken as a precedent as the decision was taken on the basis of facts and circumstances.
The original application filed by Bisi was initially dismissed by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) but the Orissa High Court allowed his writ petition on October 9, 2020. The High Court had directed the state government to reinstate him in the job. This was subsequently challenged by the Odisha government, which had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the apex court.
