Allahabad court quashes disciplinary action against IAS officer over CBI report
The Allahabad High Court has quashed disciplinary proceedings against IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh for giving a "no objection" to a CBI closure report, saying his action could not be treated as misconduct in the absence of any mala fide or corrupt motive. A Lucknow bench of justices Alok Mathur and Amitabh Kumar Rai also set aside the charge sheet and all consequential penalty proceedings against him.
The court directed the authorities to restore all service benefits, including promotional and monetary entitlements, that Singh would have received if the disciplinary proceedings had not been started. It ordered that this be done within 12 weeks.
Singh was serving as joint secretary and chief vigilance officer in the Department of Heavy Industry when he was asked to lodge an FIR with the CBI against M K Singh, then CMD of Bridge & Roof Co (India) Ltd, Kolkata. The CBI later registered a case alleging offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and provisions of the IPC. After completing its investigation, the agency filed a closure report before the special CBI court. Singh, who was the complainant in the case, appeared before the court on September 1, 2018.
On the advice of the prosecuting officer, Singh told the court that he had no objection to the closure report, after which the court accepted it. The department later began disciplinary proceedings against him, alleging that he had acted against its directions and failed to protect its interests. The Central Administrative Tribunal, Lucknow, rejected his challenge to the charge sheet in December 2025, following which he moved the high court.
Examining two communications issued by the department on August 20, 2018, the high court found that they did not contain any clear direction to Singh to oppose the closure report. The court also noted that the department itself had sought a re-look by the CBI and had said that it had not received the detailed investigation report. The bench observed that if the department wanted to oppose the closure report, it could have filed a protest petition before the special CBI court, but no such petition was filed.
The court further said Singh's "no objection" had no bearing on the acceptance of the closure report and that there was no allegation of mala fide, collusion with the accused or the investigating agency, or any corrupt motive. Holding that the charge of misconduct was not made out, the bench allowed Singh's writ petition, set aside the disciplinary proceedings, and ordered restoration of all consequential service benefits within 12 weeks. - Ends
