Judgment

ARUIT PASAYAT, J.-

1.Leave granted.

2. The appellant calls in question legality of the judgment rendered by a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court directing the management of M/s National Seeds Corporation Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Corporation") to consider afresh the respondent's prayer for being represented by a legal practitioner and decide whether the same was acceptable or not.

3. Background facts in a nutshell are as follows:

The respondent was working as Assistant Grade II, Area Office at Hassan, Karnataka. It was noticed that the respondent and one G. Ansar Pasha, Seed Officer (formerly Area Manager of the Corporation, Hassan) were responsible for huge loss of more than Rupees 63 lakhs because of misappropriation by them. Accordingly complaint was lodged with the Superintendent of Police, CBI, Ganganagar, Bangalore. Simultaneously departmental proceedings were initiated by issuing charge-sheets proposing major penalty. The departmental proceedings were initiated on 12-3-2003. On 16-4-2003 the inquiry officer and the Presiding Officer were appointed to inquire into the charges framed as the respondent denied the charges. The respondent sought permissio