Delhi HC rejects former IPS Satish Chandra Verma’s plea challenging his dismissal from service

New Delhi [India], May 24 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected the plea of former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Satish Chandra Verma challenging his dismissal from the service just a month before his retirement.

Verma had assisted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its probe into the Ishrat Jahan ‘fake encounter’ case. He was dismissed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

In September 2022, Delhi HC declined to put on hold the Centre’s decision to dismiss Satish Chandra Verma.

The bench of Justices Satish Chander Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdev on Wednesday dismissed the plea of Verma and said the court find no merit in the plea. The dismissal order passed by the competent authority was upheld.

Former IPS Verma’s dismissal came on August 30 last year, a month before he was due to retire on September 30.

One of the grounds for Verma’s dismissal included talking to the media which “dented the country’s relations with neighbouring countries”.

A departmental enquiry had found him guilty of charges, including “interacting with public media” without authorisation or permission from the competent authority.

However, on his behalf, senior advocate Sudhanshu Batra has submitted that the interview was given under ‘compelling circumstances’.

Earlier the Delhi High Court had said, “We are of the view that at this stage the order of termination of August 30, 2022, does not warrant any interference as the petitioner is to superannuate, in any event, on September 30, 2022. Consequently, we are not inclined to stay or inter or interdict the order of dismissal at this stage.”

Earlier, Verma had approached the Supreme Court against the order of the Delhi High Court order allowing the Centre to implement the dismissal order passed by the disciplinary committee on August 30, 2022.

Supreme Court on September 19 had stayed for a week the dismissal order and granted liberty to the High Court to consider whether to continue with the stay or not.