New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) gave premature retirement to senior IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath of the AGMUT-cadre with immediate effect ‘in public interest’.
“I am directed to refer to Police Division dated August 7, 2023, on the subject cited above and to say that the competent authority has approved the premature retirement of Basant Kumar Rath, IPS (AGMUT:2000) in public interest under Rule 16(3) of All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement-Benefits) Rules, 1958, with immediate effect by giving three months pay and allowances in lieu of notice,” the MHA notification read.
The notification further added that accordingly, a copy of the order dated August 7, 2023, of premature retirement of Rath is enclosed.
MHA further requested that a copy of the order may be served on Rath along with a cheque for a sum equivalent to the aggregate amount of his pay and allowances for a period of three months, calculated at the same rate at which he was drawing immediately before the order dated August 7.
The cheque of requisite amount may be prepared by Jammu and Kashmir administration and handed over to the officer along with the order to be served on him, it added.
“The ink-signed dated acknowledgement of receipt of the order of premature retirement as well as cheque(s) of requisite amounts may be obtained from Rath, IPS (AGMUT:2000) and forwarded to this Ministry at the earliest,” it added.
Last month, the Home Ministry extended the suspension of Rath for another six months. He was suspended in July 2020 for gross misconduct and misbehaviour.
In June 2022, Rath had submitted his resignation to Jammu and Kashmir government so that he can join electoral politics.
https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1540840943498428416?s=20
Rath had shared his resignation letter on Twitter in which he addressed the union territory’s Chief Secretary.
“I wish to resign from the Indian Police Service in order to be able to participate in electoral politics. Please consider this letter as my request for resignation/voluntary retirement and process it accordingly”, Rath had written to Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta.
In July 2020, Rath was involved in a spat with Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbagh Singh. He filed a police complaint against the DGP saying that he ‘fears for his life’.
The 2000-batch officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre was born in 1972 in Odisha and studied Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
PNN & Agencies