Suspicion must be reasonable and grounded in evidence

The judgment discussed the standard for doubting an officer’s integrity. A mere hunch is not enough to brand an officer as corrupt. The doubt must be one a reasonable person could consciously entertain. The authority must examine the material actually available. The officer’s overall service record may also be relevant. The Court considered the limited basis for the charge. It found that the four orders alone did not establish corrupt motive. The removal was not justified on the evidence relied upon. Nirbhay Singh Suliya v. State of Madhya Pradesh & Anr. | 2026 INSC 7