Judgment

Dr. AR. Lakshmanan, J.—The present appeal was preferred against the final judgment and order dated 19.04.2004 passed by the High Court of Judicature at Madras passed in Writ Appeal No. 2592 of 2001 dismissing the same.

Factual Background :

2. The factual background, filtering out unnecessary details, is as follows :-

The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (in short the “Corporation”) is constituted to fulfil its chief objective of distributing essential commodities among the weaker sections of the population of the State of Tamil Nadu and has opened a number of godowns throughout the State to achieve the said objective.

3. The respondent-herein - K. Meerabai was appointed as a Bill Clerk on 30.11.1974 in the service of the Corporation and was promoted to the post of Junior Assistant on 31.12.1980. The respondent was posted as Junior Assistant in the Godown situated at Mint Street, Chennai on 05.01.1981 which post she held till 28.01.1983 when she was suspended vide order dated 28.01.1983 pending initiation of disciplinary proceedings against her and the other members of the Mint Godown staff in respect of mis-appropriation of the Corporation’s stock and money in the