New Delhi, Feb 05: The Supreme Court today struck down a Punjab and Haryana High Court order allowing a senior IPS officer R K Sharma to join as DIG in Punjab police despite going abroad for a long time without leave being sanctioned and applying for VRS twice and withdrawing the same subsequently. Allowing the petition filed by another senior police official P Lal challenging the induction of Sharma, a bench comprising Justice S S M Quadri and Justice S N Variava accepted the submissions of petitioner's counsel Nidesh Gupta and ruled that Sharma's first application for VRS be treated as having been accepted. Writing the judgement for the bench, Justice Variava said there was no need for the government to issue a termination letter to Sharma as his services would be treated as having been ceased from May 1993.
The bench further directed the police official to surrender to the government any pecuniary benefit given to him after May 1993 over and above the due VRS benefits. The case had a chequered history. Sharma was repatriated to Punjab government in october 1990 after a stint with raw on deputation.


He had joined as DIG Punjab police on September 30, 1991. However, 23 days later he applied for leave and left for England without prior sanction of leave. When he applied for extension of leave on grounds of illness, the government sanctioned leave till January 10, 1992. In February the same year, he was told by the government that he would be granted no more extensions.

Bureau Report