The Supreme Court has ruled that compulsory retirement is neither punitive nor an allegation of misconduct against an employee.

A Bench of Justices Manmohan and Shree Chandrashekhar upheld the Chhattisgarh government’s decision to compulsorily retire five of its 14 employees. The Court said such decisions are taken in the public interest after assessing an employee’s overall service record, performance and integrity. It clarified that an employee cannot challenge compulsory retirement simply because another employee with a similar record was allowed to continue in service.

The apex court further clarified that judicial interference is justified only if the retirement order is arbitrary, based on no evidence or affected by bias. The Bench concluded that the screening committee had followed uniform criteria, finding five employees unsuitable for continued service, while the remaining nine met the required standards.