Significant Jharkhand High Court Order: Thousands of Police Personnel to Receive Financial Benefits
Ranchi: In a major verdict favoring constables and head constables of the state police cadre, the Jharkhand High Court has dismissed the state government's appeal regarding Assured Career Progression (ACP) benefits. A division bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar issued the order, clarifying that eligible police personnel must be granted ACP benefits from their due dates without any additional conditions.
This decision brings relief to thousands of serving and retired constables and head constables across the state, paving the way for them to receive long-pending financial benefits.
What was the issue?
The Jharkhand Police Headquarters had imposed certain conditions for granting ACP benefits to constables and head constables. These included mandatory participation in departmental training and passing a training examination. The police personnel argued that ACP is a financial benefit scheme rather than a promotion; therefore, linking it to conditions like training and examinations violated the rules.
Following this, the affected police personnel approached the High Court.
Single Bench had already set aside the conditions
While hearing the matter, a single bench of the High Court—presided over by the then Justice Ambuj Nath—had set aside the conditions imposed by the DGP on August 16, 2024. The court had ordered that constables and head constables be granted ACP benefits unconditionally from the date of their eligibility.
The state government had filed an appeal before the division bench against this single-bench decision.
No relief for the government
During the hearing on Tuesday, Advocate Diwakar Upadhyay presented the case on behalf of the police personnel. After hearing arguments from both sides, the division bench upheld the single bench's order and dismissed the state government's appeal.
What is ACP?
ACP, or Assured Career Progression, is a scheme under which government employees are granted the benefit of a higher pay scale if they do not receive a promotion over a prolonged period. Under this arrangement, the employee's designation remains unchanged, but their salary and other financial benefits increase.
Major benefit for police personnel
Following the High Court's ruling, constables and head constables will now receive the benefits of the ACP (Assured Career Progression) scheme without the requirement of undergoing any training or passing an examination. This will lead to an increase in their salaries, dearness allowance, and other financial benefits. Additionally, retired police personnel are also likely to receive arrears and revised pension benefits.
