MB#45: 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

[MemoirBlogthon#45] The sudden order for compulsory retirement hit our home like a lightning bolt, silencing my father and sending my mother into uncontrollable sobs. His punishment was the consequence of upholding government norms against a minister's corrupt demands, forcing him into a legal battle that affirmed his unshakable integrity.

MB#45: Compulsory Retirement My Father’s Stand Against Corruption.

The Day the Pay Stopped, But Integrity Did Not

The evening I returned home from my Diploma in Business Management classes in July 1975, I walked into an unusual scene. My father, Sri Susarla Subrahmanya Sastry, was sitting quietly in his armchair, gazing out the window, while my mother was racked by silent sobs. I sensed immediately that something profoundly wrong had occurred.

"What happened?" I asked my father, apprehension tightening in my chest.

He replied in a low, measured tone: "The government has passed orders for my 'compulsory retirement' from service, much ahead of my due date."

The word "compulsory" sounded like a judgment. He explained the consequences: his pay would be stopped, effective the next day. "This is the recognition I received after putting in long, sincere service," he concluded bitterly. My mother broke down again, and my father, composed despite the pain, consoled her. "I will approach a legal recourse. Don't weep like this."

The next morning, he was dull but determined. He explained the true cause: the declaration of the Emergency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, had given authorities sweeping powers. A year earlier, he had denied a tender bid to a contractor—a relative of a powerful state minister—because the bid violated established government norms. The vengeful minister used the new emergency powers to recommend his shunting out of government.

My father was a victim of political pressure, a professional casualty of authoritarian power. While the Emergency was condemned nationally for curtailing civil liberties, our family bore the direct, heavy cost.

News of the removal of a known sincere officer quickly spread among family, friends, and colleagues. Despite the suspension of fundamental rights during that time, my father was resolute: "I am determined to fight for justice."

He immediately approached a lawyer in the state capital, Hyderabad, and filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh State Administrative Tribunal. For months, he shuttled tirelessly between Vijayawada and Hyderabad. The legal fight continued long after the Emergency was lifted on March 21, 1977.

With the case before the tribunal, his monthly salary was stopped. It was during this difficult time that our family friend, the late Shri Maganti Subrahmanyam garu, an industrialist in Vijayawada, stepped in with immense generosity. He arranged funds from his own resources to pay my father the exact amount of his stopped salary, ensuring our family's stability during the fight.

Eventually, justice prevailed. The Tribunal ruled in my father's favor, directing the government to reinstate his service immediately and pay all arrears of the stopped salary, complete with interest.

The Chief Engineer invited my father back, offering him his preferred post. But after the mental agony and the unjust victimization, my father wisely chose a quieter path. He preferred a non-stressful role in a new town, Eluru, where political pressures would not interfere with his work.

Witnessing my father’s calm determination—the way he handled the mental agony and consoled my mother while fighting for his principles—was the most enduring lesson in composure. I realized that to stand tall and composed in the face of such unfavorable situations requires not just courage but an unshakable inner integrity.

MB#45: Quiz

MB45-Question: Which judicial body eventually ruled in the father's favor, directing the government to reinstate his service and pay all arrears?

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• A. The High Court of Andhra Pradesh.
• B. The Supreme Court of India.
• C. The Andhra Pradesh State Administrative Tribunal.
• D. The Civil Service Board.

MB#45:Quote

"The time is always right to do what is right"—Martin Luther King Jr.