A bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has issued notice to the Centre on an application of disgraced former Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore challenging the decision to suspend his pension.
The local CAT bench in its order asked the ministry of home affairs to submit its reply by October 19.
The ministry had withheld his pension on June 23, 2010, after he was convicted and sentenced to a 18-month jail term by a sessions court here in Ruchika molestation case of 1990.
In his petition, Rathore submitted that there was a discrimination on the ministry's part since no such order had been passed in case of former Punjab DGP K.P.S. Gill, who had also been found guilty of the offences punishable under sections 354 and 509 of the IPC relating to outraging of a woman's modesty.
The former top cop submitted that his case had not achieved finality yet, while Gill's case saw its end on July 27, 2005, sources close to Rathore said here.
Rathore pleaded that withholding his pension had violated his right to life as it sought to deprive him of source of income for subsistence.
The 68-year-old Rathore is behind bars since May 25 in Burail Jail here after the sessions court had enhanced his sentence to 18-months from six months imprisonment. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rejected his petition challenging his conviction and sentence.