Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia Wins Rs 5 Lakh Award from Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur ordered the Union government and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs to pay Rs 5 lakh as exemplary costs to Indian Revenue Service officer Manmeet Singh Ahluwalia, quashing a Central Administrative Tribunal decision that had upheld his suspension. The court held that the allegations against Ahluwalia, stemming from a family residential dispute and alleged COVID‑era leave lapses, were a “gross exaggeration of trivial deviations” and did not justify prolonged suspension.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court of India issued several notable judgments. It upheld a minimum 25 % viva‑voce cut‑off for judicial appointments, rejected a challenge to the rule, and criticised the lack of reasoning in Motor Accident Claim Tribunal orders. The court also reduced the life term of a convicted gang‑rape offender to 20 years. These rulings were highlighted in the court’s weekly roundup covering a range of legal issues.