The Bombay High Court has directed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to pay a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to a 62-year-old woman for compulsorily retiring her from the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) after she approached court seeking an upgrade of her post.
A division bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere was hearing a petition filed by Sheila Rajan, challenging the order passed by the Director General of the AFMS refusing to upgrade her post from Group C to Group B. Ms. Rajan joined the AFMS of in 1971 as a speech therapist.
According to her petition, the then Colonel in-charge of administration made a recommendation for an upgrade of her post. However, this was rejected on the ground that the MoD cannot upgrade posts, as it can be done only by the Pay Commission. Ms. Rajan then approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), but before her matter could be heard, the army passed an order of compulsory retirement against her in April 1992. The army also reduced two increments, the petition said.
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“The respondents (MoD), instead of issuing a letter of appreciation for the work done by the petitioner, chose to punish her merely because she approached the court against inaction on the part of the respondents,” the Judges said. — PTI