THE UNTOLD STORY OF RADHASHYAM MAHAPATRO : WHEN FOLLOWING RULES BECAME A PUNISHABLE ACT

For more than three decades, Shri Radhashyam Mahapatro dedicated himself to the public sector with integrity, discipline, and an unwavering faith in rules. Rising through the ranks from a young executive to ultimately become Director (HR) of NALCO, he built his reputation on transparency, fairness, and grounded professionalism.

Yet today, if you search his name online, the one thing which people see is reports of his suspension. What the public does not see - and what was never told - is the untold story of how a man was punished for upholding the rulebook, forced into suspension, denied his dignity at retirement, transferred away from his post, branded unfairly, and ultimately left without a single rupee of his retirement benefits more than a year after retiring.

This is not an ordinary personnel dispute. This is a story about what happens when an honest officer stands up against procedural violations at the highest levels - and pays the price.

https://youtu.be/07e0VnZqTAU

A Career Built on Discipline
Shri Radhashyam Mahapatro spent nearly three decades serving India's public sector with integrity, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to rules. A Physics graduate from Khallikote College and a postgraduate in Industrial Relations & Labour Welfare from Berhampur University, he built his career across NHPC, Engineers India Ltd., and Central Coalfields Ltd. (Coal India), earning a reputation as a principled, system-driven officer.

His tenure as Director (Personnel) at CCL was marked by major HR reforms, improved manpower planning, and a consistent emphasis on ethical practices. His leadership style - firm, structured, and transparent - made him widely respected among employees and unions alike. It was this credibility that led to his appointment as Director (HR) of NALCO on 1 January 2020, one of the highest HR leadership positions in the Indian PSU ecosystem.

At NALCO, he led numerous critical initiatives: digitisation of HR systems, reforms in recruitment and promotions, structured training and skill development programmes, and strengthened employee welfare frameworks. Under his leadership, HR in NALCO was known for discipline, compliance, and fairness. Even during challenging periods - including the COVID-19 pandemic - he played a key role in stabilizing workforce operations, ensuring employee safety, and keeping organisational functioning smooth.

Throughout his career, one quality defined him: uncompromising adherence to rules and procedure. He believed deeply that public sector institutions must function through clear processes - not through personal discretion or informal influence. This commitment, which had always been his strength, tragically became the reason he was targeted during the disputed DPC process in 2023.

Even the Secretary, Coal (with additional charge of Mines) once rated him "competent, hardworking and sincere." This background is essential because what unfolded later makes sense only when contrasted with his lifelong track record.

The DPC That Changed Everything
The turning point came during the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for E6 to E7 promotions in 2023. A simple rule-governed process turned into a storm that would devastate his peace, health, and reputation.

Here is what the enquiry transcript itself shows - facts, not interpretation:

1. The CMD did not attend the interview at all.
The CMD, who later claimed authority over assessment marks, was absent throughout both interview days. Yet pre-filled "typed" interview marks appeared in the Assessment Sheets circulated by him. When asked in the enquiry how he evaluated candidates he never interviewed, the CMD simply called the question "irrelevant."

2. Ministry guidelines mandated individual Assessment Sheets.
The Ministry of Mines Vigilance Division issued a letter on 15 March 2022 clearly stating:

Evaluation Sheets must be used by each DPC member
Quantitative, individual assessment is essential
These sheets are vital DPC documents
But instead of independent sheets:

the CMD circulated pre-filled Assessment Sheets
with identical typed marks for all DPC members,
including interview marks he himself never awarded in person
This directly contradicted Ministry instructions.

3. The "Common Assessment Sheet" practice collapsed
The CMD repeatedly claimed that NALCO uses a "common assessment sheet" signed by all members.

But in this case:

Two members (Director Finance and Director HR) disagreed on the Finance cadre marks
They did not sign the common sheet
They returned it with remarks, not consent
Under such circumstances, the so-called "common sheet" is void as per NALCO practice. At that point, as per rules, the process must revert to:

Individual marking
Averaging of marks
Creating a merit list based on quantitative scores
This is exactly what the CO insisted on.

4. The CMD introduced a new "majority rule" not found in any rulebook
When consensus failed, the CMD took a strange position:

"Majority decision will prevail."
There is no clause in NALCO's R&P Rules that allows promotion decisions by majority voting. There is no Ministry guideline permitting it. There is no DPC or PSU tradition supporting this mechanism. Yet this new concept suddenly became the CMD's justification.

Even more telling:

The CMD took this idea to the Board only on 26 September 2023, after the promotion controversy arose on 8-12 September 2023. It was an attempt to give retrospective legitimacy to his earlier irregular instructions.

5. A Long History of Bias
The strained relationship between the CMD and the Director (HR) did not begin with the 2023 DPC dispute - it had been building for years. In 2021, during the Director (HR)'s mandatory probation assessment, the CMD gave him a failure-level rating, a score so unusually low that it raised concerns at the Ministry.

The Secretary, Coal (Addl. Charge of Mines), who reviewed the CO's probation-related SPR earlier, wrote:

"The CMD has been unfair towards Shri Mahapatro... CMD does not come clean."

This remark was recorded much before the DPC dispute, proving long-standing bias. Throughout his tenure, the Director (HR) had been known for insisting on strict rule-following, transparency, and refusal to sign documents or support actions that he believed were inconsistent with policy or procedure. This principled stance put him at odds with a CMD who frequently exerted pressure to approve decisions the Director (HR) felt were irregular. According to multiple documented interactions and enquiries, the CMD repeatedly created negative perceptions of the Director (HR) within the Ministry, attempted to undermine his credibility, and allegedly encouraged hostile behaviour towards him in internal forums. This long pattern of tension provides crucial context: the Director (HR) was not targeted because of any wrongdoing in the DPC process, but because he had already become an obstacle - an officer who consistently refused to "fall in line" when asked to deviate from rules.

This document was obtained using the RTI Act and submitted to the enquiry.

The Consequences for Speaking Up
After the CO insisted on following rules, he faced:

1. Suspension for six months
Despite no proven tampering, no forged signature, no alteration of anyone else's marks. He was only completing his own assessment sheet, which every DPC member is supposed to do.

The suspension order against Shri Radhashyam Mahapatro was itself deeply irregular. Under Government norms and PSU practices, a suspension cannot ordinarily be extended beyond 90 days unless the case is under active investigation or charges are framed with supporting evidence. Yet Shri Mahapatro - despite no proven tampering, no forged signature, and no alteration of any other DPC member's marks - was kept under suspension for more than six months.

His only "action" was completing his own assessment sheet, which every DPC member is mandated to fill independently. Even this lawful act was misinterpreted as "tampering," while the larger procedural deviations highlighted during the enquiry were ignored.

During this entire suspension period, he was not provided security, driver, official email access, official phone number through which people could reach out to him or the standard facilities that every Director-level officer is entitled to even when he is suspended.

When he approached the court challenging the extension of his suspension without any orders, the Ministry of Mines conveyed over phone that if he withdrew the case, he would be reinstated as Director (HR) with full authority and facilities restored. Trusting this assurance, he withdrew the case. But what followed was the exact opposite.

2. Transfer and sidelining until retirement
Upon revocation of suspension on 30 July 2024, Shri Mahapatro should have resumed charge as Director (HR) - the role to which he was appointed by the ACC (Appointments Committee of Cabinet). Instead, he was abruptly relocated to NALCO's liaison office in New Delhi, stripped of his functional authority, and designated simply as "Director."

This was not just unusual - it violated the principles governing Board-level appointments. Government guidelines (including DoPT OM dated 30.09.2016) state that:

Additional Charge for a Board-level position can be granted only for 3 months by the Minister-in-Charge
Any extension beyond 3 months requires MoS(PP) approval
Beyond 6 months, it must go to the ACC
In this case:

Director (P&T) held additional charge of Director (HR) for over nine months
The extension order was issued without approval of MoS(PP)
No ACC approval was taken before depriving the ACC-appointed Director (HR) of his statutory role
Shri Mahapatro formally wrote to the Establishment Officer, ACC, documenting these concerns and highlighting that divesting a Board-level Director of his approved portfolio without ACC sanction is not just irregular - it undermines the very structure of governance in CPSUs.

Become a member
Despite this, his charge was not restored. For the remainder of his service, he remained functionally powerless. Even basic official email access was withheld until his retirement, effectively ensuring he could not participate in recruitment, promotions, policy work, or any decisions - conveniently keeping him away from sensitive files where procedural scrutiny might have curbed internal irregularities.

He spent his final months in service isolated, excluded, and stripped of authority - a fate no Director-level officer should ever face.

3. His Director (HR) position was symbolically taken away
The final indignity came on the day of his retirement.

Traditionally, a Director retiring from a PSU is honored respectfully with their full designation - especially a Board-level position approved by the ACC. Instead, during his farewell, Shri Mahapatro was not referred to as Director (HR) at all. The title he had earned through decades of service was symbolically erased.

In internal communication and ceremonial references, another officer holding "additional charge" was acknowledged as Director (HR), while Shri Mahapatro was simply labelled "Director." This deliberate downgrading was not a clerical oversight - it was the culmination of months of systematic sidelining.

4. No retirement benefits - more than a year after retirement
Even after retirement, the mistreatment continued. More than a year has passed, and he has still not received:

Pension
Provident Fund
Leave encashment
Commutation
There is no rule in any PSU, Ministry, or Government of India framework that allows withholding the lifetime dues of a Board-level officer indefinitely - especially when no misconduct has been proven, no penalty imposed, and no conviction exists.

His life's savings and dignity remain on hold, trapped in procedural limbo without explanation.

The Psychological Toll: A Man Broken by the System
Beyond the enquiry rooms and official files, something far more tragic was unfolding. The prolonged humiliation, isolation, and injustice began to fracture the mental and emotional strength of a man who had once led NALCO's HR with confidence and dignity. After decades of loyal service, being publicly branded as "suspended," "tampering," and "insubordinate" shook him to the core. He withdrew from colleagues he once mentored, stopped answering calls, avoided social functions, and repeatedly asked a heartbreaking question:

"Why did this happen when all I did was follow the rules?"

His family watched this transformation in disbelief and pain. They saw him:

losing confidence
suffering anxiety and gaining weight
falling into bouts of depression
replaying the enquiry questions over and over
The man who once led NALCO's HR with strength and dignity became a man traumatized by the very institution he served.

The suspension affected not just him -
It affected his children, spouse, extended family, and social reputation.

Meanwhile, the CMD Walked Away Unscathed
The contrast is stark, painful, and undeniable.

While Shri Mahapatro fought to prove that he had merely followed rules, the CMD - whose actions formed the root of the controversy - retired with comfort and honour.

The CMD:

retired smoothly and ceremonially
received full pension and retirement benefits without delay
continues to enjoy professional respect and social recognition
carries no stigma, despite having so many pending CBI cases against him
He emerged untouched.

Meanwhile, the officer who insisted on procedure, transparency, and rules was the one whose life was turned upside down.

Why This Story Must Be Told Publicly
The internet today reflects only one side - the suspension, the headlines, the Ministry orders. But what it does not show is the man behind those headlines:

a 30-year career of integrity
no proven wrongdoing in any enquiry
procedural violations committed by others
a Ministry authority acknowledging bias against him
a year without pension, PF, gratuity, or any retirement dues
the emotional devastation inflicted upon his family
his courage in confronting every question head-on
his refusal to bend even when the system tried to break him
This digital imbalance has damaged his reputation. If not corrected, it will erase his legacy.

His story must be told not out of anger, but out of truth - so that his name is not confined to a single unfair episode, but seen in the context of the principled life he lived.

What He Stood For
Through every hearing, every cross-examination, every attempt to deny him a voice, he kept repeating one thing:

"I only followed the rules."

He never changed his stand. He never compromised on procedure. He never accused anyone without facts. He never fabricated stories. He answered every question, even when others refused. He fought the battle alone, knowing the cost of standing up for what is right.

This is not misconduct. This is courage. This is integrity. This is the kind of conduct PSUs are supposed to honour, not punish.

A Call for Fairness, Dignity, and Closure
This article is not written to blame individuals or vilify officials. It is written because every human deserves dignity, especially after giving their life to public service.

It is written so that one day, when someone searches for his name,
they don't see only the suspension, but also the truth. A truth supported by enquiry transcripts, Ministry records, and the logic any fair observer can see.

A truth that simply says:

An honest man was punished for following the rules. An honest man deserves justice, not silence.

It has been over a year since his retirement.He still waits for pension.He still waits for PF. He still waits for someone in authority to read his file and give him the dignity he earned.

This story must be told until that dignity is restored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETQxLwRCFo&t=382s

If You Are Reading This
Share it. Talk about it. Help correct the digital record.

Help ensure that a lifetime of honesty is not remembered only for a single, unjust action taken against him.Because if honesty is punished publicly,
and dishonesty is protected quietly, then what message does it send to every officer, every civil servant, every employee struggling to do the right thing?

Shri Radhashyam Mahapatro's story is not just his story.It is a reminder that systems must protect those who uphold rules, not destroy them.

G-202, De Habitat Society, Shree Vihar, Patia, Bhubaneswar-751031

All the proofs are present, RTI files are available where every line could be exactly quoted. Only the surface of this has been extracted but there are many things which has happened over the last 5 years where Radhashyam Mahapatro has been harassed by CMD and then by Ministry of Mines for upholding his ethics and values.

This release was published on openPR.