Patna: The Patna Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has refused to quash disciplinary proceedings against Bihar cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Aditya Kumar, who is accused of involvement in an alleged conspiracy to impersonate a former Chief Justice of the Patna High Court to influence senior police officials, Bar and Bench reported on Friday, October 23. A Bench of Judicial Member Justice Narendra Kumar Johari and Administrative Member Kumar Rajesh Chandra heard the case, Aditya Kumar v. Union of India and Others.

Source: Bar and Bench

According to the State government, an individual allegedly impersonated the then Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and contacted the Director General of Police and other senior officials through telephone and WhatsApp calls to secure favourable administrative decisions concerning a senior officer. These are allegations: the tribunal has expressed no opinion on their merits, and the officer is presumed innocent in the criminal case. The case arose from FIR No. 33/2022, registered by Bihar's Economic Offences Unit in Patna in October 2022.

Source: LawChakra

Kumar was named as an accused and suspended on October 18, 2022. He surrendered before a criminal court on December 5, 2023, and was granted bail on April 25, 2024; the chargesheet in the criminal case was filed on March 6, 2024, LawChakra reported.

In March 2025, the CAT declared the extension of his suspension beyond October 17, 2023 invalid because the government had failed to follow the prescribed statutory procedure. Five days later, on March 25, 2025, the Home Department issued a charge memorandum initiating disciplinary proceedings. Kumar challenged it, arguing it came after an unexplained delay of over two years, was retaliatory, and was aimed at denying him promotion to Deputy Inspector General of Police.

The tribunal rejected that argument. "Chronology or proximity in time (between the initiation of disciplinary proceedings and the order declaring the suspension extension orders void), by itself, does not establish mala fide," it held, noting the government had begun considering disciplinary action in December 2022. It also held that a criminal prosecution and a departmental proceeding operate in different fields, with different standards of proof.

While allowing the inquiry to continue, the tribunal expressed concern over how long the proceedings have run and directed the government to endeavour to conclude them preferably within six months, giving Kumar a fair opportunity of defence. It said his promotion claim cannot be decided at this stage, and noted that one departmental charge concerns his alleged unauthorised absence from the headquarters fixed during his suspension — an allegation he is yet to answer in the inquiry.