JUDGMENT

CHANDRACHUD, J. :— The appellant was working as a Ticket Examiner in the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation at its Nagpur Depot. On March 21, 1964 a bus belonging to the Corporation was checked by the Flying Squad when nine and half passengers out of 26 were found travelling without tickets. The appellant was on the bus in the discharge of his duties as a Ticket Examiner. The Flying Squad prepared a Panchnama on the spot obtaining thereon the signatures of the appellant, the driver and the ticket conductor. It was found that the conductor had collected the fare from all the 26 passengers who were travelling in the bus but had not issued tickets to 9 1/2 passengers. Since it was the duty of the appellant as a Ticket Examiner to check whether the conductor had collected fare from all the passengers and in token thereof had issued tickets to them, a charge-sheet was served on the appellant for breach of clauses 12 (b) and (d) of the Madhya Pradesh Standard Standing Orders which govern the matter by reason of Rule 7 of the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules, 1963 A Domestic inquiry was thereafter held into the charges and the appellant ha