The Supreme Court has upheld the discharge of a group of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) constables who failed to disclose pending criminal cases during the recruitment process. The Court reiterated that the deliberate suppression of material information regarding criminal antecedents clearly bears on the character of the employee and justifies termination. A bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe noted that as per the RPF Rules, an employee can be discharged at any time for suppressing criminal cases.
The Court observed that the mandate of law requires a candidate intending to participate in the selection process to provide complete information, which includes the subsistence of any criminal case against them. It emphasized that the rules governing the field make it clear that if disclosure is not made, the candidate is liable to be discharged from service at any point in time.
The appellants had applied for recruitment to the post of constables in the RPF and RPSF. They cleared the written examination, physical and efficiency tests and were included in the select list. During document verification and medical examination, however, they did not disclose the pendency of criminal cases against them. The authorities subsequently discovered the pending criminal proceedings while the appellants were undergoing training. Finding that the criminal cases had been deliberately suppressed, the authorities discharged the appellants between June and October 2015.
The candidates' discharge was upheld by the Allahabad High Court, prompting an appeal to the Supreme Court. Affirming the impugned judgment, the Court observed that despite being aware of the Railway Protection Force Rules governing recruitment, which expressly provided for disqualification upon suppression of factual information, the appellants proceeded to participate in the verification and medical examination.