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DEVENDRA PRATAP NARAIN RAI SHARMA versus STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH

Citation: [1962] SUPP. 1 S.C.R. 315 · Decided: 03-11-1961 · Supreme Court of India · Bench: K. SUBBA RAO · Disposal: Dismissed

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Judgment (excerpt)

' 
(l) S.C.R. 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
315 
DEVENDRA PRATAP NARAIN RAI SHARMA 
fl, 
S'fATE OF UT'fAR PRADESH 
(K ScrBBA RAO, J. C. SHAH, RAGHUBAR DAYAL 
and J. R. MUDHOLKAR, JJ.) 
Public Servant--Dismissal-Re-in•tated by decree of Civil 
U,urt-Merits of charge not considered-Whether fresh enquiry 
011 
the same charge. competent-Salary-Effect of order of 
Civil Court declaring dismissal invalid-Uttar Pradesh Govern-
ment Fundamental Rule. as amended in 1953 r. 64,-Code of 
Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act V of 1&08;, O. 2. r. 2-Constitution 
of India, Arts. 226, 310 and 311. 
The order of dismissal against the appellant was set 
aside by the High Court, holding inter alia, that reasonable 
opportunity was set afforded to the appellant before imposing 
the penalty dismissed and the appellant must be deemed 
to continue in service. 
Thereafter the appellant was re-
instated, but he was awarded salary at the rate of Rs. 76-11-0 
till the order of dismissal, and at a token rate of Rs. l /- for 
the period between the order of dismissal and reinstatement. 
The appellant was again suspended and enquiry was directed 
against him in respect of dereliction of duty for which he had 
already been once dismissed and re-instated. 
The appellant moved the High Court for a writ to quash 
the order directing the said enquiry. He claimed that Govern-
ment had no power to re-open the enquiry concluded by the 
• 
decision of the High Court and that the State was bound 
to pay him salary with increments for the period of suspen· 
sbn as if he was on duty during that period. 
The High 
Court, inter atia, held that the second enq_uiry against the 
appellant was not barred by virtue of the previous decision, 
but the fixation of token salary amounted to punishment 
which could not be imposed without following the procedure 
laid down in Art. 311 of the Constitution, and there was no 
justification for not granting him full salary. The appellant 
came up in appeal to the Supreme Court by certificate. 
Held, that the State Government was competent in the 
circumstances, to direct a fresh enquiry against the public 
servant for dereliction of duty,.and to suspend him. 
Where the order of dismissal of a public servant was 
declared invalid by the decree of a Civil Court the effect 
was that the public servant was never to be deemed to have 
been lawfully dismissed from service, and the order of re-· 
instatement was superfluous. It was not open to the authority 
1961 
November 3. 
/~l 
r
1 r~·e dra Pratap 
Jfarain Rai Sharma 
v. 
StMt of l.htar 
Protltslt 
Shah J. 
316 SUPltEll1E COlJRT REPORTS (1962) SUPP. 
to deprive the public servant of the remuneration which he 
would have earned had he been permiued to work. 
Held, Cuther, that r. 54 of the Fundamental Rules of 
the Uttar Pradesh Government enables the State Govern-
ment of fix the pay of a public scrv.u1t, when dismissed is 
set aiide in a departmental appeal, but that rule has no 
application to cases in which the dismissal or a public 
servant is declared invalid by the decree of a Civil Court and 
he is consequently re-instated. 
Du;arkacha1ul v. State of Raja&than, I. L. R. ( 1957) Raj. 
1049, Nanak Chandra Bairagi v. Supdt. of Folice, Sibsagar, 
I. L. R. (1955) Assam 191 and Mohan Sinl}h Choudhri v. 
JJivisional 
Personnel 
Officer, ;.V<>rlMrn Railu·ay, Fcroze.pore 
Gantt. I. L. R. (1957) Pub. 
1883, not applicable. 
C1v1L APPELLATE JuRISDICTICN : Civil Appeal 
No. 622 of 1960. 
Appeal from the judgment and order dated 
February 12, 1960, of the Allahabad High Court 
(Luck.now Bench) at Lucknow in Writ Petition 
No. 228 of 1959. 
1. M. Lall, E. Udyaruthnam and S.S. Shuku1, 
for the appellant. 
G. B. Agrawalla and G. P. 
Lal, for the 
respondents. 
1001. November 3. The Judgment of the 
Court was delivered by 
SHAH, J.-In I951 the appellant Devendra 
Prata.p Narain Rai :Sharma held the post of "Ins· 
pcctor Qa.nungo'' in the Revenue Department of 
the State of Uttar Pradesh and was selected for 
the post of Tchsildar on probation. By order 
dated April ;!l, 1952, the Collector of Jha.nsi BUB· 
pended the appellant and commenced an enquiry 
against him on certain charges of misdemeanour. 
In June, 1952, the Collector recommended to the 
Land lteforms Commission that the appellant ho 
revcrwd to tho post of "Naib Tehsildar", but tho 
Commissioner recommeded to the State Govern-
ment that the applicant be dismissed from service. 
(1) S.C.R. 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
317 
The State Government ac

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