9911796707
TMI Blog2007 (4) TMI 743X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... notice the admitted fact of the matter. 3. Respondent was recruited to Indian Railway Traffic Services on or about 1.02.1982. He was promoted to the post of Junior Administrative Grade. He was also placed in the selection grade on 1.07.1994. The post of Senior Administrative Grade fell vacant. Respondent was eligible to be considered therefore. A Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) was convened for preparation of a panel for promotion to the said post. Respondent's name was also included therein. Inter alia on the premise that a vigilance case was pending against him, sealed cover procedure was adopted by the DPC purported to be in terms of the circular in question providing for the procedure and guidelines to be followed in respe ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... the impugned judgment. 6. The Tribunal as also the High Court proceeded to determine the issue on the basis that the term Government Servant under cloud would be the employees against whom a chargesheet has been issued, relying on or on the basis of paragraph 2 of the said circular, the relevant portion whereof reads as under: 2. At the time of consideration of the case of Government Servants for empanelment, details of Government Servants in the consideration zone for promotion falling under the following categories should be specifically brought to the notice of the Departmental Promotion Committee: (i) Government Servants under suspension; (ii) Government Servants in respect of whom a charge sheet has been issued and t ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... e left at the hands of the DPC, but the same has to be determined in terms of the rules applicable therefore. Indisputably, the DPC recommended the case of the respondent for promotion. On the day on which, it is accepted at the bar, the DPC held its meeting, no vigilance enquiry was pending. No decision was also taken by the employer that a departmental proceeding should be initiated against him. Terms and conditions of an employee working under the Central Government are governed by the rules framed under the proviso appended to Article 309 of the Constitution of India or under a statute. The right to be promoted to a next higher post can, thus, be curtailed only by reason of valid rules. Such a rule again, however, cannot be construed ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... to adopt the sealed cover procedure. We are in agreement with the Tribunal on this point. The contention advanced by the learned Counsel for the appellant-authorities that when there are serious allegations and it takes time to collect necessary evidence to prepare and issue charge-memo/charge-sheet, it would not be in the interest of the purity of administration to reward the employee with a promotion, increment etc. does not impress us. The acceptance of this contention would result in injustice to the employees in many cases. As has been the experience so far, the preliminary investigations take an inordinately long time and particularly when they are initiated at the instance of the interested persons, they are kept pending deliberatel ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ) government servants against whom an investigation on serious allegations of corruption, bribery or similar grave misconduct is in progress either by CBI or any agency, departmental or otherwise. (Emphasis supplied) 12. Serious allegations of financial misdemeanours were made against the respondent therein. Central Bureau of Investigation took up investigation. He was suspended on 10.03.1988. Although the said order of suspension was revoked, investigation continued. The DPC considered his case for promotion on 3.04.1991 and resorted to sealed cover procedure. Only in the aforementioned situation, K.V. Janakiraman (supra) and other decisions following the same stood distinguished opining that paragraph 7 of the said office memorandum w ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... he word 'issued' when a disciplinary proceeding had been initiated by framing the chargesheet and the same had been despatched. Paragraph 2 of the circular letter in question was similar to the case of R.S. Sharma (supra). It is in that context, what would be the meaning of the word 'issued' when the decision has been taken to initiate disciplinary proceeding came up for consideration. As the circular contained a provision of that nature which is absent in the present case, the said decision, in our opinion, also has no application in the instant case. 14. For the self-same reasons, the decision of this Court in Kewal Kumar (supra) is also not attracted. This aspect of the matter has recently been considered in Coal India ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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