BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 28th March 2026: The Tripura High Court has directed the state government to recalculate and release the retirement benefits of dismissed Tripura State Rifles (TSR) Commandant Tapan Debbarma, based on his last drawn salary prior to dismissal. The court also ordered that all pending dues be paid with interest.
Debbarma, who retired on September 30, 2024, upon turning 60, had been under suspension since November 21, 2017, following his arrest in connection with the Bodhjungnagar police case (Case No. 50/2017) under Section 302 of the IPC and Section 27 of the Arms Act. He remains the prime accused in the murder of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik, with trial proceedings still underway.
The petitioner alleged that during his suspension he was denied enhanced subsistence allowance, and after retirement, only partial pension was granted. He further claimed that his leave encashment was calculated on subsistence allowance rather than his last salary, and his General Provident Fund (GPF) was released more than a year late, on December 20, 2025.
Justice S. Dutta Purkayastha, presiding over the single bench, noted that Debbarma’s last basic pay before dismissal was ₹92,070, while his subsistence allowance had been fixed at ₹46,035 plus applicable allowances. The court observed that both leave encashment and partial pension were wrongly calculated on subsistence allowance instead of the last salary, contrary to Rule 65 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972.
The bench directed the state government to: Recalculate leave encashment and partial pension on the basis of Debbarma’s last salary. Pay arrears, if any, with interest from the date of retirement. Provide 7% annual interest on delayed GPF payments until disbursement. Release subsistence allowance for four pending months — November 2019, April 2020, August 2020, and February 2022.
The court further instructed that all dues, along with interest, be settled within two months of Debbarma submitting an undertaking. Should departmental proceedings later require recovery, the petitioner must return the amount.
