Supreme Court stays reinstatement of IAS officer Rinku Dhugga

The Supreme Court of India has stayed the reinstatement of IAS officer Rinku Dhugga. The decision comes following a challenge by the Centre against a Delhi High Court judgment that had upheld an order from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) directing her reinstatement.

Dhugga was compulsorily retired by the Centre following a 2022 controversy in which she and her husband, also an IAS officer, were alleged to have had Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium vacated to facilitate her dog-walking. While the High Court previously ruled that the compulsory retirement was unsustainable due to her positive service record and the minor nature of the disciplinary issues, the Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has paused that reinstatement in the interim. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on October 13.