Supreme Court orders reinstatement of benefits for former ITS officer S S Das

In a decision delivered by Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu, the Supreme Court ordered the restoration of all salary, pension and notional promotion benefits to former Indian Trade Service officer S S Das. The court noted that Das had been rated outstanding or very good from 1994 onward and had received a promotion only months before his 2018 retirement. It condemned the contradictory labeling of the officer as “dead wood” and described the process as an abuse of authority.

The bench further directed the director general of foreign trade to call Das to the office for a farewell with full honours. The judgment emphasized that premature retirement powers must be exercised only on solid, credible evidence, not on speculation.