Union Of India (Uoi) vs R. Padmanabhan

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Kerala High Court which directed the Union of India to grant a reward to an IPS officer for his role in the seizure of gold biscuits under the Central Excise & Salt Act and other related laws. The Court found that the exclusionary rule in Clause 7.2 of the Guidelines did not apply to the officer's case, and the amendments limiting rewards were not retrospective. The Court affirmed the High Court's ruling that the officer was entitled to the reward based on his contributions to the operation, thus reinforcing the principle that guidelines should be interpreted in a manner that does not unjustly deny rewards for significant contributions.