Service Law - Disciplinary Proceedings – Minor Penalty – Personal Hearing Not Mandatory – Rule 21 of Punjab Civil Services Rules – High Court's Error in Quashing Penalty – The respondent, a Sub-Divisional Engineer, was awarded the penalty of stoppage of two increments with cumulative effect after the disciplinary authority disagreed with the Enquiry Officer’...
Freedom Fighters’ Pension – Date of Commencement – Grant Based on Secondary Evidence – Pension Not Payable From Application Date – The respondent’s claim for freedom fighter’s pension was allowed on the basis of secondary evidence, namely oral testimony from another detenue and not on a primary document like a jail certificate – Held: Following prece...
Service Law - Regularization – Government Company Employees – Absence of Right to Regularization – Industrial Disputes Act – Daily Wagers Not Entitled to Absorption – The employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., a government company, claimed regularization and parity in wages with regular staff despite being casual workers engaged under settlement agreements – H...
Disability Pension – Schizophrenia – Pension Regulations, 1961 – Regulation 173 and Appendix II – Medical Board opined illness not attributable to military service – Held: High Court erred in granting pension merely because no disease was recorded at time of enrolment – Clause 7(c) requires proof that conditions of military service determined or contributed to t...
Judicial Discipline – Bail order by judicial officer – Complaint of corruption unsubstantiated – Enquiry Judge disbelieved allegation of illegal gratification but still held charges of granting bail on insufficient grounds proved – Held: Passing a bail order in exercise of judicial discretion cannot ipso facto lead to disciplinary proceedings unless actuated by malice, bias...
Service Law - Disciplinary Proceedings – Continuation after Superannuation – Regulation 20(3)(iii), Punjab National Bank Service Regulations – Validity Affirmed – Disciplinary proceedings initiated before retirement can continue after superannuation by virtue of legal fiction under Regulation 20(3)(iii) – Employee deemed to be in service until conclusion of proceeding...
Service Law – Retrospective Reservation for Women – Validity of Rule 22A Amendment – Upheld – Appellants challenged the application of G.O. Ms. No. 928 dated 6.10.1995 and G.O. dated 28.5.1996 which enhanced reservation for women to 30% and 33⅓% respectively – Held: Government has power under Article 309 to frame rules with retrospective effect – Rule 22A as a...
Public Interest Litigation – Service Matters – Writ of Quo Warranto – Not Maintainable - PIL filed to challenge appointment of Audit Inspector on ground of invalid Scheduled Caste certificate obtained through marriage – Held: PILs are not maintainable in service matters, particularly where allegations stem from personal vendetta – High Court erred in entertaining such...
Service Law - Termination of workmen convicted of criminal assault – Probation of Offenders Act – Section 12 – Scope – Conviction not wiped out – Workmen convicted for assault released on probation – High Court held service career should not be affected – Held: Section 12 removes only statutory disqualifications under other laws (e.g., election or office d...
Service Law – Seniority – Retrospective Promotion – Legality – Held: Promotees cannot claim seniority from a date prior to their actual appointment to the cadre. Appellants, who were promoted as Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACFs) in 2002, were retrospectively given seniority from 1994. Respondents, appointed directly in 1996, challenged this retrospective promotion. Su...