Case Law Ratios

The Supreme Court of India upholds disciplinary removal, clarifies need for engagement with employee representations but with limited high court intervention

In the State of Rajasthan and Ors vs. Bhupendra Singh,¹ on August 8, 2024, the Supreme Court of India ("Supreme Court") upheld the removal of an employee from service, clarifying that once the disciplinary authority accepts the findings of an inquiry officer, it need not provide elaborate reasons for the punishment. The Supreme Court emphasised that while disciplinary authorities should address employee representations when imposing major penalties, High Courts should only intervene in disciplinary decisions if the findings are based on no evidence or are clearly perverse. The Supreme Court found that the Rajasthan High Court's decision to overturn the removal order was unsustainable, as it improperly reappraised evidence. Consequently, the Supreme Court restored the removal order but ruled that the employee's