Supreme Court Rules on Government's Authority for Early Retirement

The Supreme Court has ruled that the government has broad authority to retire employees early in the interest of public welfare. However, the court clarified that judicial intervention is possible in cases of arbitrary or malicious decisions. This ruling came while dismissing appeals from two employees of the Chhattisgarh government who challenged their mandatory retirement. The court stated that assessing an employee's integrity, efficiency, and overall service record is the prerogative of the competent authority. It emphasized that one cannot challenge such actions solely based on the retention of another employee with a similar service record. The court also noted that the right to equality in the Constitution does not imply that past mistakes should be repeated.