Here's a story about Kuldeep Singh, who wanted to retire but ended up in court. Let's dive into what happened.
Kuldeep Singh, who joined the Indian Coast Guard on October 27, 1994, decided to retire early for personal reasons. On July 19, 2024, he applied to leave his job voluntarily, planning to finish by January 31, 2025. Why? His wife's health was getting worse, he had a head injury, and his parents needed looking after.
On August 23, 2024, his request to retire was supported by the head of the Coast Guard Region (North-East). By December 9, 2024, it was officially approved, set to take effect on January 31, 2025, according to specific Coast Guard and Central Civil Service rules.
Just before Christmas, on December 23, 2024, Kuldeep wanted to change his mind about retiring. His wife's health got better, and he had financial responsibilities like his kids' education and a loan of 10 lakhs.
On January 3, 2025, his request to cancel the retirement was turned down. The authorities said his wife's condition was ongoing and his financial problems were already there. An order dated January 24, 2025, confirmed this rejection.
Feeling like he had no choice but to retire, Kuldeep went to court, asking to be allowed back to work with benefits. He argued that other officers in similar situations had their requests accepted.
The court, with Judges Om Prakash Shukla and C. Hari Shankar, noticed that Kuldeep asked to cancel his retirement before the date he was supposed to leave. They mentioned earlier cases, like Balram Gupta and JN Srivastava, where people were allowed to change their minds if their situations changed.
The court decided that Kuldeep had good reasons to cancel his retirement, like his wife's improved health and his financial responsibilities. They also saw that another officer in a similar situation was allowed to cancel their retirement. The rejection was considered unfair and without proper explanation.
"The rejection order is a simple rejection, without any reasoning..."
The court canceled the rejection order, allowing Kuldeep to cancel his retirement application. He was allowed to return to work with benefits but without back pay, following the idea of "no work, no pay." He must return any retirement benefits he received.
In the end, Kuldeep Singh's determination paid off, and he's back in service, thanks to the court's decision on December 2, 2025.
