Abdul Samad S/O Abdullah Sab v. The State of Karnataka and Ors

  




  





  




     
 
 
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Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA ( , ( (

4., THE,UNDER,SECRETARY,, DEPARTMENT,OF,FINANCE,(EXCISE),, VIDHANA,SOUDHA,, BENGALURU,–,560,001., …RESPONDENTS, , (BY,SRI,VEERANAGOUDA,MALIPATIL,,H.C.G.P.,FOR,R1,,, R3,AND,R4;,SRI,GOURISH,S.KHASHAMPUR,,ADVOCATE,FOR,R2), , , THIS, WRIT, PETITION, IS, FILED, UNDER, ARTICLES, 226, AND,227,OF,THE,CONSTITUTION,OF,INDIA,,1950,,PRAYING,TO, ISSUE,A,WRIT,IN,THE,NATURE,OF,CERTIORARI,BY,QUASHING, IMPUGNED, ORDER, DATED, 22.04.2022, PASSED, BY, THE, HON'BLE, KARNATAKA, STATE, ADMINISTRATIVE, TRIBUNAL, KALABURAGI, BENCH, IN, APPLICATION, NO., 20056/2021, AT, ANNEXURE-D, AND, CONSEQUENTLY, TO, ALLOW, THE, APPLICATION, FILED, BY, THE, PETITIONER, BEFORE, THE, KARNATAKA, STATE, ADMINISTRATIVE, TRIBUNAL, AS, PRAYED, FOR,,IN,THE,INTEREST,OF,JUSTICE,AND,EQUITY., , , THIS, WRIT, PETITION,, COMING, ON, FOR, PRELIMINARY, HEARING, IN, 'B', GROUP,, THIS, DAY,, ORDER, WAS, MADE, THEREIN,AS,UNDER:, , CORAM:, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,H.T.NARENDRA,PRASAD, ,AND,, ,HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,TYAGARAJA,N.,INAVALLY, ( ORAL(ORDER( (PER:,HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,H.T.NARENDRA,PRASAD)( , This,writ,petition,is,filed,challenging,the,order,dated,

22.04.2022,passed,by,the,Karnataka,State,Administrative, Tribunal,(for, short,'the, Tribunal'), at, Kalaburagi, Bench,in, Application,No.20056/2021,,wherein,,the,application,filed, ( , ( ( by,the,applicant/petitioner,has,been,dismissed,and,penalty, imposed,by,respondent,No.4,vide,order,dated,07.09.2020, has,been,confirmed.,,

¶2Brief,facts,of,the,case,are,that,on,04.10.2010,, the, officials, of, Lokayukta, raided, the, Bolero, vehicle, belonging, to, the, Excise, Department, and, found, Rs.700/-, cash,with,one,Subhash,,Excise,Sub-Inspector,,Rs.3,950/-, with,Ramesh,Giri,,Driver,of,the,said,vehicle,,Rs.22,500/-, with,the,applicant,and,Rs.20,850/-,with,one,Sharanappa,, Excise, Guard., When, questioned,, they, were, not, in, a, position, to, give, explanation, regarding, the, source, of, the, said, amount., Hence,, departmental, enquiry, was, initiated, and, charges, were, framed, on, 15.09.2015., After, the, enquiry,, enquiry, report, dated, 29.06.2017, came, to, be, submitted, to, the, Disciplinary, Authority., Based, on, the, enquiry, report,, the, respondent, No.4, vide, order, dated,

07.09.2020, has, imposed, penalty, on, the, delinquent, employees,,wherein,,in,respect,of,the,applicant/petitioner,, since,he,is,already,retired,,penalty,of,withholding,50%,of, ( , ( ( pension,permanently,was,imposed.,Being,aggrieved,by,the, same,, he, has, filed, an, application, before, the, Tribunal, in, Application, No.20056/2021., The, Tribunal, by, order, dated,

22.04.2022, has, dismissed, the, said, application, and, confirmed, the, penalty, imposed., Being, aggrieved, by, the, order,of,the,Tribunal,,the,applicant/petitioner,is,before,this, Court.,,

¶3Learned, counsel, appearing, for, the, petitioner, has, contended, that, the, departmental, enquiry, has, been, initiated, against, three, persons, i.e.,, applicant/petitioner,, Ramesh, Giri,, and, one, Sharanappa., , The, driver-Ramesh, Giri,passed,away,during,the,enquiry,proceedings.,Common, charges,have,been,issued,and,common,enquiry,has,been, initiated, against, all, delinquent, employees., In, respect, of, petitioner,,penalty,has,been,imposed,by,withholding,50%, of, pension, permanently, and, in, respect, of, Sharanappa,, penalty,of,compulsory,retirement,has,been,imposed.,Being, aggrieved,by,the,penalty,order,,Sharanappa,has,filed,an, application, before, the, Tribunal, in, application, ( , ( ( No.20156/2020, and, the, said, application, came, to, be, allowed, on, the, ground, that, relevant, witnesses, have, not, been,examined,and,enquiry,is,contrary,to,the,provisions,of, Rule,11,of,the,Karnataka,Civil,Services((CCA),Rules,,1957.,, Therefore,, the, learned, counsel, contended, that, since, common,charges,have,been,framed,and,common,enquiry, had, been, initiated, against, all, the, delinquent, employees,, petitioner's,application,is,also,liable,to,be,allowed,on,the, grounds, of, parity., But, the, Tribunal, has, dismissed, the, application, of, the, petitioner., , Hence,, he, sought, for, allowing,the,petition.,

¶4Per,contra,,learned,Addl.,Government,Advocate, appearing, for, the, respondents, contented, that, after, thorough, enquiry,, the, Enquiry, Officer, has, submitted, a, report, proving, the, charges, against, the, delinquent, employees.,Based,on,the,enquiry,report,,the,respondent, No.4,, by, order, dated, 07.09.2020,, has, imposed, penalty, against, the, delinquent, employees., After, considering, the, materials,available,on,the,record,,the,Tribunal,has,rightly, ( , ( ( dismissed, the, application, filed, by, the, petitioner, and, confirmed, the, order, dated, 07.09.2020, passed, by, the, respondent,No.4,imposing,the,penalty,of,withholding,50%, of,pension,permanently.,Hence,,he,sought,for,dismissal,of, the,petition.,

¶5Heard, the, learned, counsel, for, the, parties, and, perused,the,writ,papers.,

¶6On, the, basis, of, complaint,, the, officials, of, the, Lokayukta,raided,the,bolero,vehicle,that,belonged,to,the, Excise, Department;, they, found, Rs.700/-, cash, from, Subhash,, Excise, Sub-inspector,, Rs.3,950/-, from, Ramesh, Giri,, Driver, of, the, said, vehicle, and, Rs.22,500/-, from, applicant/petitioner, and, Rs.20,850/-, from, Sharanappa., The,Departmental, Enquiry,has,been, initiated, against, the, petitioner/applicant,, Ramesh, Giri, and, Sharanappa., Common, charges, have, been, framed, against, all, three, delinquent, employees., During, the, pendency, of, the, enquiry,, Ramesh, Giri, died., The, Enquiry, Officer, after, ( , ( ( conducting, a, detailed, enquiry,, submitted, a, report, on,

29.06.2017., Based, on, the, report, filed, by, the, Enquiry, Officer,, the, respondent, No.4, has, imposed, penalty, of, withholding,50%,of,the,pension,permanently,in,respect,of, the, petitioner, and, imposed, penalty, of, compulsory, retirement,in,respect,of,Sharanappa.,Being,aggrieved,by, the,penalty,imposed,by,respondent,No.4,,Sharanappa,filed, an, application, before, the, Tribunal, in, Application, No.20156/2020.,The,Tribunal,by,order,dated,02.08.2022, allowed, the, application, on, the, ground, that, the, witness,, owner, of, the, Ambika, Bar, and, Restaurant, has, not, been, examined,and,enquiry,was,conducted,contrary,to,the,Rule, 11(18),of,the,KCS,(CCA),Rules,,1957.,,Paragraphs,9,,10, and,11,of,the,order,dated,02.08.2022,i.e.,,the,finding,of, the, Tribunal, in, respect, of, the, application, filed, by, Sharanappa, in, Application, No.20156/2020, are, relevant, and,same,is,extracted,hereunder,for,easy,reference:, ,"9., In,the, enquiry,proceedings,, it,is, true,that, the,owner,of,Ambika,Bar,and,Restaurant,has,not, ( , ( ( at, all, been,examined, as,a, witness, in,the,case., Therefore,,it,can,be,safely,held,that,the,charge, of,bribe,taking,from,Ambika,Bar,and,Restaurant, is, not, at, all, proved, in, the, enquiry, by, any, evidence., That, leaves, us, with, the, question, of, explanation, for, the, amount, seized, from, the, applicant., The, applicant, in, his, defence, has, denied,the,possession,of,the,amount,alleged,in, the, charge, and, they, have, not, examined, themselves,either,in,the,enquiry,proceedings,and, he, was, subjected, to, questionnaire, under, Rule, 11(18),of,the,KCS(CCA),Rules,,1957.,As,regards, the,seizure,of,the,amount,from,the,applicant,as, in, Ex.P2,, the, appreciation,of, the,totality, of, the, evidence, of, independent, panch, witnesses, PW2, and, PW3, testifies, the, seizure, of, the, amount, mentioned,in,Ex.P2,,seizure,mahazar,submitted, in, the, evidence, of, the, complainant., Therefore,, the, contention, of, the, applicant, that, no, money, was, seized, from, him, is, not, tenable, on, the, evidence,appreciated,in,the,enquiry,and,there,is, no,infirmity,in,the,finding,of,the,enquiry,officer,in, this,regard.,

10.,, We,have, perused,the, voluntary,statement, of, the, applicant, recorded, at, the, time, of, the, ( , ( ( seizure,of,money,from,him.,In,the,statement,,it, is,stated,by,him,that,he,has,gone,alongwith,the, Excise, Inspector, Subash, who, inspected, shops, enroute, and, that, he, is, not, aware, of, when, and, where, he, took, money., There, is, no, explanation, forthcoming, from, him, as, regards, the, seizure, made,from,his,person.,

¶11,,,,We, had, requested, the, Government, to, make,available,the,records,of,the,enquiry,,but,in, the,records,made,available,to,us,the,records,of, the,enquiry,before,the,enquiry,officer,is,not,part, of, the, records, made, available, to, us., In, this, regard,, we, refer, to, the, inquiry, report, for, any, observations,of,the,enquiry,officer,with,regard,to, the,'circumstances,appearing,against,him,in,the, evidence, for, the, purpose, of, enabling, the, government, servant, to, explain, any, circumstances,appearing,in,the,evidence,against, him'.,We,find,that,the,enquiry,officer,has,not,at, all, referred, to, the, circumstances, appearing, against,the,applicant,in,the,evidence,adduced,on, behalf,of,the,disciplinary,authority',and,that,the, same, has, not, been, satisfactorily, explained, in, their,reply,or,that,there,Was,no,reply,from,the, applicant-DGO., Therefore,, we, are, confronted, ( , ( ( with, a, situation, when, the, disciplinary, authority, who,has,alleged,that,the,amount,found,with,the, applicant,and,other,delinquents,are,collected,as, bribes,, which, is, also, the, contention, of, the, respondent, Lokayukta, institution, in, the, reply, statement,, all, of, a, sudden, in, the, hearing,, the, argument, advanced, by, the, learned, Lokayukta, counsel,and,the,government,pleader,is,that,the, applicant, has, not, explained, as, to, how, he, is, having, so, much, money, and, has, not, accounted, for, the, same., It, is, pertinent, to, note, that, the, charge,on,the,applicant,is,that,the,amount,with, the,applicant,and,other,delinquents,are,collected, as,bribes,from,the,shops.,Apart,from,stating,that, the, evidence, of, 'PW1, &, PW4, is, sufficient, to, accept, the, case, of, the, disciplinary, authority',, there, is, no, finding, as, to, how, their, evidence, establishes, the, charge, that, the, money, in, the, possession,of,the,applicant,and,other,delinquents, is, bribe, money, collected, from, the, shops, when, none,of,the,shop,owners,or,alleged,bribe,givers, have,been,examined,in,the,enquiry.,The,enquiry, states, that, though, the, evidence, of, PW2, and, PW3,,independent,panch,witnesses,are,hostile,in, nature,, it, is, sufficient, to, prove, that, the, money, ( , ( ( was,seized,from,the,applicant.,That,mere,seizure, does,not,prove,the,charge,which,is,based,on,a, charge, of, bribe, taking, and, which, is, not, at, all, established,by,any,evidence,whatsoever,,makes, the,mere,evidence,of,seizure,of,amount,from,the, applicant,not,of,much,consequence,to,prove,the, charge., It, is, pertinent, to, note, that, there, is, no, statement, of, the, applicant, at, the, time, of, the, seizure, of, the, amount, regarding, any, amount, seized, from, him., It, is, also, not, the, case, of, the, respondent, State, and, the, Lokayukta, institution, that,the,seizure,of,the,amount,from,the,applicant, is, part, of, the, incriminating, circumstance, mentioned,by,the,enquiry,officer,on,the,basis,of, any, evidence, of, the, disciplinary, authority, mentioned, in, the, questionnaire, of, the, enquiry, officer,to,the,applicant.", ,

¶7Since, common, charges, were, framed, against, Sharanappa, and, the, applicant/petitioner,, a, joint, enquiry, was, conducted., The, report, of, the, enquiry, dated,

26.09.2017,submitted,at,Annexure-A2,establishes,that,the, charges,against,both,i.e.,,Sharanappa,and,petitioner,,have, been, proved, and, penalty, has, been, imposed., However,, ( , ( ( challenging,the,penalty,order,,the,application,filed,by,the, Sharanappa,before,the,Tribunal,is,allowed,and,the,order,of, the, penalty, imposed, against, Sharanappa, is, quashed, on, the,ground,that,the,enquiry,is,conducted,contrary,to,KCS,

(CCA),Rules;,and,the,application,filed,by,the,petitioner,is, dismissed., Therefore,, the, petitioner, is, also, entitled, for, similar,relief,granted,to,Sharanappa.,,

¶8The, Division, Bench, of, this, Court, in, WP, No.207183/2017, connected, with, WP, No.207184/2017, disposed,of,on,01.08.2019,in,paragraph,No.6,stated,that, there, must, be, parity, among, delinquents,, who, had, approached,the,Tribunal,arising,out,of,the,same,cause,of, action.,,,

¶9In, the, instant, case,, this, Court, on, 28.03.2023, has,granted,stay,of,the,impugned,order,dated,07.09.2020., The,order,dated,28.03.2023,reads,as,under:, ,"2., , Learned, counsel, for, the, petitioner, submits, that, a, joint, enquiry, was, held, ( , ( ( against, one, Sharanappa, and, the, petitioner, herein, and, insofar, as, Sharanappa, is, concerned, a, different, punishment, of, compulsory, retirement, was, ordered,, which, however,has,been,set,aside,as,per,the,order, in, Application, No.20156/2020., It, is, submitted, that, the, petitioner, herein, is, placed,in,parity,as,Sharanappa.,It,is,further, submitted, that, the, charges, insofar, as, Sharanappa,and,the,applicant,were,common, and, when, the, finding, in, the, report, was, made, as, against, Sharanappa, as, well, as, petitioner,herein,,the,eventual,penalty,must, also,be,same,on,the,principle,of,parity., Taking, note, of, the, order, passed, in, Application, No.20156/2020,, there, would, be, stay, of, the, impugned, order, dated,

07.09.2020,at,Annexure-A5,,in,the,present, matter,also.",

¶10In,view,of,the,above,,we,are,of,the,opinion,that, the,writ,petition,deserves,to,be,allowed.,Accordingly,,the, following,order,is,passed:, ( , ( ( O(R(D(E(R,

(i) The,Writ,Petition,is,allowed.,

(ii) The, order, dated, 22.04.2022, passed, by, the, Tribunal, in, Application, No.20056/2021,, is, set, aside.,,

(iii) Consequently,, the, order, dated, 07.09.2020, passed,by,respondent,No.4,imposing,penalty,of, withholding, 50%, of, pension, permanently, from, the,petitioner,,is,hereby,quashed.,, , Sd/-( (H.T.NARENDRA(PRASAD)( JUDGE( ( ( ( Sd/-( (TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY)( JUDGE( , AMM, List,No.:,1,Sl,No.:,66,