CRPF man to get rank of Inspector nine years after retirement following Delhi HC order

New Delhi [India], May 20 (HBTV): A CRPF member will be granted the rank of Inspector nine years after his retirement in 2017 following an order by the Delhi High Court. Though eligible for promotion, he could not receive it before retiring as a sub-inspector due to an incomplete service record.

In 2021, Rajbir approached the Delhi High Court seeking the grant of rank. He did not seek any financial benefits.

The respondents, including the CRPF, did not dispute that Rajbir’s name was excluded from the list of promoted officers due to the unavailability of his complete service record, despite being entitled to promotion on August 17, 2017, before demitting office.

A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kshetrapal and Amit Mahajan directed that Rajbir be granted the rank of Inspector.

‘In such circumstances, as the Petitioner is only praying for the grant of rank without any financial consequences, this Court considers it apposite to direct the Respondents to grant the rank of Inspector to the petitioner since August 17, 2017, within eight weeks,’ the bench ordered on May 15.

Rajbir joined the CRPF as a Constable on June 27, 1983, and retired under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) with effect from August 31, 2017.

The High Court noted that Rajbir was entitled to promotion along with other officials on August 17, 2017, for the post of Inspector. However, since his records were incomplete, no promotion order was issued before his retirement.

Advocate KK Sharma, appearing for Rajbir, argued that although the petitioner was eligible for promotion to the rank of Inspector, his name was omitted from the list of promoted officers because his Annual Confidential Report (ACR) had not been received from his previous battalion following his transfer.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that under the rules, the ACR and complete service records should have reached the new battalion within 15 days of transfer. Counsel for the respondents did not dispute this fact.

It was further submitted that Rajbir had qualified for the Inspector promotional course between September and November 2013. He was later transferred from Battalion No. 231 to Battalion No. 41 in December 2015, and his name was included in the seniority list published on December 1, 2015.

However, his name was not included in the list of promoted officers published on August 17, 2017. Rajbir subsequently opted for VRS on August 31, 2017.

(ANI)