The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has refused to quash disciplinary proceedings against Bihar-cadre IPS officer Aditya Kumar, who is accused of involvement in an alleged conspiracy to impersonate a former Chief Justice of the Patna High Court to influence senior police officials.
In its October 13, 2026, order, a bench comprising Judicial Member Justice Narendra Kumar Johari and Administrative Member Kumar Rajesh Chandra rejected Kumar’s challenge to a charge memorandum issued by the Bihar government in March 2025, Bar and Bench reported.
The tribunal held that pending criminal proceedings did not prevent the government from independently examining alleged misconduct through departmental action. It also rejected Kumar’s contention that the proceedings were initiated with malicious intent after orders extending his suspension were declared invalid on procedural grounds.
However, the CAT directed the state government to endeavour to conclude the inquiry within six months, while providing Kumar a fair opportunity to present his defence.
Who is IPS officer Aditya Kumar?
Aditya Kumar is a 2011-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, born on January 20, 1983, in Uttar Pradesh. He entered the IPS through direct recruitment in December 2011.
He served as Assistant Inspector General (Rail) in Patna between 2019 and 2020 before becoming Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Gaya during 2021-2022.
His tenure in Gaya became the subject of a separate departmental inquiry concerning the handling of a liquor-seizure case and supervision of subordinate police personnel.
What is the alleged fake Chief Justice case?
Bihar’s Economic Offences Unit registered an FIR in October 2022 concerning the alleged impersonation of the then Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
According to investigators, Abhishek Agarwal allegedly created a WhatsApp profile using the photograph of then Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and contacted senior police officials, including then Bihar Director General of Police S.K. Singhal, seeking favourable administrative decisions concerning Kumar.
Kumar was suspended on October 18, 2022. He surrendered before a criminal court in December 2023 and secured bail in April 2024. The allegations remain subject to legal proceedings, and the CAT’s latest order does not establish his criminal guilt.
Separate departmental case closed; DIG promotion in focus
In March 2025, the CAT declared extensions of Kumar’s suspension beyond October 17, 2023, invalid on procedural grounds. The ruling concerned the legality of the suspension extensions, not the underlying allegations.
Separately, the Bihar Home Department issued a resolution on October 16, 2026, closing departmental proceedings relating to allegations from Kumar’s tenure as Gaya SSP. The decision followed an August 11 CAT ruling concerning that inquiry.
Kumar’s promotion to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) has also come into focus. However, the closure of one departmental case does not automatically invalidate the separate disciplinary proceedings connected with the alleged impersonation case.
His promotion prospects will depend on applicable service rules, eligibility requirements and the status of relevant proceedings. The CAT’s latest order allows the inquiry to continue without deciding whether the allegations are true.
