Rajasthan High Court rejects reinstatement for employee who resigned to contest election

The Rajasthan High Court has ruled that a government employee who resigns to contest an election cannot seek reinstatement simply because they lost the election. A division bench comprising Justice Indrajit Singh and Justice Sandeep Taneja dismissed a petition filed by Neeraj Bishnoi, a former senior auditor with the North Western Railway.

Bishnoi resigned in October 2023 to run for the Rajasthan Assembly on a BSP ticket but was unsuccessful. He subsequently sought to withdraw his resignation, arguing that his lack of awareness regarding the impact on his pension and retirement benefits constituted a ‘significant change in circumstances’ under service rules.

The court rejected this argument, stating that an election defeat does not qualify as a compelling reason or a material change in circumstances to warrant the withdrawal of a resignation. Additionally, the court noted that contesting an election as an official candidate of a political party violates the requirement for government servants to maintain political neutrality under the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964.