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Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation v. Bajrang Lal

Civil Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Civil Appeal No. 4104 of 2007)Decided 14 Mar 2014
Civil Appeal No. 4104 of 2007
Justice B.S. Chauhan · Justice J. Chelameswar

Background

A trainee conductor was removed after a departmental inquiry found that he collected fares without issuing the proper tickets. Three courts granted him relief on assertions that the inquiry was unfair and dismissal excessive, leading the transport corporation to appeal.

Decision Breakdown

The Court allowed the appeal, set aside the lower courts' judgments and restored removal from service. General claims about missing documents or denied opportunities had not identified the relevant documents, witnesses or prejudice, and the courts had not examined supporting evidence. Such unsupported findings could be corrected despite their repetition at several court levels. Removal was not disproportionate to the proved misappropriation; the Court declined to decide the civil-suit jurisdiction objection because the corporation had not pressed it at trial.

Lesson Learnt

An employee challenging a disciplinary inquiry should identify the actual procedural defect and its effect; general allegations do not establish unfairness, and dishonest handling of fares can justify removal.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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