IAF Officer Fined for Overtaking Senior, SC Orders ₹1 Lakh Compensation

The Supreme Court of India recently passed an order in favor of an Indian Air Force Officer who was punished for overtaking the vehicle of his senior. The incident happened on January 18, 2011. Airman S. P. Pandey, while returning after duty, maneuvered his motorcycle through traffic and stopped in front of his senior’s vehicle at a railway crossing. This led to disciplinary action, and the officer was detained from work for a day due to this.

According to reports, after the airman stopped the vehicle in front of his senior’s vehicle in a civilian area while returning from work, this behavior was unacceptable to the squadron leader. He claimed that Mr. Pandey’s actions violated Air Force discipline.

This was followed by an argument, and Mr. Pandey was charged, and an order of admonition was passed. There are even reports suggesting that the bike on which Mr. Pandey was traveling was also impounded by the senior officer.

Dissatisfied with the punishment, Mr. Pandey approached the Armed Forces Tribunal, which ruled in his favor and canceled the senior officer’s disciplinary order. However, despite the favorable ruling from the Armed Forces Tribunal, Mr. Pandey did not receive any compensation.

When he realized this, Pandey moved to the Apex Court seeking compensation for what he described as excessive action by the Indian Air Force. He also argued that the punishment had caused him unnecessary distress and loss of dignity.

The officer might have unknowingly overtaken his senior’s vehicle at a closed railway crossing. However, detaining him from work and firm warning in front of other officers was probably not the right thing to do in this case. The senior officer could have handled the situation in a better way. When a bench comprising Justices P. S. Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta reviewed the case, they examined all the evidence and facts and once again ruled in favor of the officer who had been punished.

The bench stated that while discipline is essential in defense services, the punishment in this case was disproportionate to the offense. The court remarked, “Small infractions like overtaking the vehicle of one’s senior at a railway crossing may be incidents of indiscipline in defense services, but the balance and proportion that need to be maintained between such an infraction and its punishment will always be at the core of good governance. If the balance is not maintained, the distinction between bad governance, impropriety, unfairness, and inhuman treatment becomes blurred.”

As mentioned, the officer had approached the court for compensation, which was granted. The Supreme Court ordered the Union government to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation to Mr. Pandey for the loss of dignity. The court observed, “When the institutions that we build grow beyond proportion, officers act mechanically and, many times, helplessly ignore the simple and readily available remedies that exist in our normal lives.”

It further added, “Though the monetary value of the loss of dignity may be insignificant, legal remedies allow us to settle it only as a token of concern and recognition of a citizen’s identity and dignity.”