Hyderabad: The Telangana high court has come to the rescue of an 80-year-old retired govt surgeon who was allegedly denied his pension and other retirement benefits due to a corruption case filed against him over two decades ago. Despite retiring from service in 2006 and being acquitted later, Dr M Suresh Kumar has not received his rightful dues. A bench of Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao on Friday directed the state govt to address his grievance within eight weeks and pass appropriate orders in accordance with law. Dr Kumar joined govt service in 1989 and served in various capacities before retiring as an assistant civil surgeon (training officer) in the State Health Education Bureau. He said that in 2001, he was falsely implicated in an Anti Corruption Bureau case for allegedly demanding a 10,000 bribe. The trial court convicted him, but the high court subsequently acquitted him upon appeal. However, in 2008, the govt issued orders imposing a 100% pension cut and withholding his retirement benefits. Even after his acquittal in 2024, the authorities failed to restore his pension despite several representations made by the retired officer. “Despite being acquitted by the high court in the bribery case, the department continued to withhold my retirement benefits, which is illegal and unconstitutional. This has caused me severe financial hardship,” Dr Kumar told the court. The judge further directed the department to take appropriate action and pass orders within eight weeks .
