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1974 Supreme(AP) 181

Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : KODANDA RAMAYYA
Chinna Keshavulu - Appellant
Versus
Government Of A.P. - Respondent
Decided On : 11-29-74

The State Government or its officers cannot suspend an Asaldar Patwari from the office of Asaldar Patwari for irregularities committed as Gumastha Patwari in the absence of any law or statutory rule empowering them to do so.

Headnote:

VILLAGE OFFICERS - SUSPENSION - JURISDICTION - POWER OF TAHSILDAR - VALIDITY - DASTUR-E-DEHI - GASTI - INTERPRETATION - WRIT PETITION - MAINTAINABILITY.

Fact of the Case:

Petitioner, an Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda village, was also appointed as Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda village. He was suspended from the office of Gumastha Patwari, Yousufguda, on the ground that he had tampered with the entries in the village Pahanis. Consequently, he was suspended from the office of Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda village. The petitioner filed two writ petitions challenging the suspension orders.

Finding of the Court:

1. The Tahsildar has the power and jurisdiction to suspend the petitioner from functioning as the Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda. 2. The State Government or any officer functioning under it is not empowered to suspend the petitioner from functioning as Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda for the mistakes or wrongs said to have been committed by him in the discharge of his duties as Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda. 3. The order dated 10-8-1973 passed by the Tahsildar, Hyderabad West, suspending the petitioner from working as Patwari, Police Patel, and Malipatel of Babbuguda and Guttala Begumpet villages is illegal and without jurisdiction.

Issues: 1. Whether the State Government represented by the Tahsildar and the Revenue Divisional Officer has power and jurisdiction to suspend the petitioner from functioning as the Gumastha Patwari of Yousfguda? 2. Whether the State Government or any officer functioning under it is empowered to suspend the petitioner from functioning as Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddiguda for the mistakes or wrongs said to have been committed by him in the discharge of his duties as Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda? 3. Whether the order dated 10-8-1973 passed by the Tahsildar, Hyderabad West, suspending the petitioner from working as Patwari, Police Patel, and Malipatel of Babbuguda and Guttala Begumpet villages, is valid and justified as contended by the Government Pleader or illegal and without jurisdiction as pleaded by the petitioner's counsel?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The Tahsildar has the power to suspend the petitioner as Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda under Gasti No. 23 dated 14th Amardad 1316 Fasli, which empowers the second and third Talukdars to suspend Muqaddam Patwaris. 2. The State Government or its officers cannot suspend the petitioner from the office of Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda for the alleged irregularities committed as Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda as there is no law or statutory rule empowering them to do so. Gasti No. 57 dated 19th Moharram, 1314 Hijri-25th Amardad 1305 Fasli, and para 19 of Dastur-e-Dehi, relied upon by the respondents, are not applicable as they relate to dismissal from office and not suspension. 3. The order suspending the petitioner from the offices of Patwari, Police Patel, and Malipatel of Babbuguda and Guttala Begumpet villages is also illegal and without jurisdiction as it is based on the same grounds as the suspension from the office of Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda.

Final Decision: The petition is partly allowed and partly dismissed. The order suspending the petitioner from the office of Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda is upheld, but the orders suspending him from the office of Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda and from the offices of Patwari, Police Patel, and Malipatel of Babbuguda and Guttala Begumpet villages are quashed.

KONDIAH, J.

( 1 ) IN Writ Petition No. 3937/73, the petitioner seeks for the quashing of the orders dated 17-8-1972 of the tahsildar, Hyderabad Urban Taluk, Hyderabad District, suspending him from functioning as Gumastha Patwari of You sufguda Village and Asaldar Patwari of yellareddyguda village, on the ground that he has tampered with the entries in the village Pahanis of 1966-67 to 1969-70;. Writ petition No. 310/74 is preferred by the same petitioner for the issuance of a writ of Mandamus declaring the proceedings of the Tahsildar, Hyderabad West Taluk, dated 10-8-1973 suspending him from the offices of Gumastha Patwari, Malipa- tel and Police Patel of Babbuguda and guctala Begumpet villages as illegal, without jurisdiction and void.

( 2 ) THE Petitioier is Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda village. He was also appointed by the Asaldar Patwari of Yousufguda village by name Narhar rao, the 4th respondent in - W. P. No. 3937/72 as Gumastha Patwari of Yousufguda in the year 1966 and he was again reappointed in the year 1971. According to the petitioner, he made certain entries in the cultivation accounts of Yousufguda village pertaining to the years 1966 to 1970 at the instance of the asaldar Patwari (4th respondent ). But according to the State Government, those entries are not true but fraudulent and hence, he was suspended on 17-8-1972 by the Tahsildar, Hyderabad urban Taluk, from the office of Gumastha Patwari, Yousufguda. Consequently, he was suspended from the office held by him as Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddy guda village by the impugned order. The Petitioner s appeal to the Board of revenue againsr the orders of suspension made by the Tahsildar and against the orders of the Revenue Divisiona! officer, hyderabad West was rejected on 23-4-1973. The Board of Revenue has rejected the claim of the petitioner even to continue as Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda village on the strength of para 19 of Dastur-e-Dehi. On the basis of the orders passed by the Board of revenue, the petitioner was suspended by an order passed by the Tahsildar, hyderabad West Taluk on 10-8-1973, from the offices of Gumastha Patwari, malipatel and Police Patel of Babbuguda and Guttala Begumpet villages. The basis for the aforesaid order appears to be the suspension order passed earlier in respect of Yousufguda village for the alleged falsification of cultivation accounts of Yousufguda in the years 1966 to 1970. That order is sought to be quashed by the petitioner in Writ petition No. 310 of 1974.

( 3 ) MR. C. R. Pratapa Reddy, the learned counsel for the petitioner, contended that the right of his client to hold the office of Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguca is a right to property and the government cannot deprive him of his property right except in accordance with law, that there is no law empowering rhe government to deprive the petitioner of his property right viz watan in respect of Yellareddyguda as there are nr rules promulgated under Art. 309 of the Constitution or any other law which governs the rights of the village officers in so far as Telangana area is concc ned, that dasturi-e-Dehi is not law and that the action of the respondents in suspending him from the office of Asaldar Patwari of Yellareddyguda is without jurisdiction and illegal. He urged that the respondents have no power or authority to suspend the petitioner even for the alleged wrong entries in the cultivation accounts of yousufguda as the same have been done at the instance of the Asaldar Patwari and it is the Asaldar Patwari that is competent to suspend or remove the gumastha Patwari and in any event, the respondents have no right and power to suspend the petitioner in so far as the office held by him in Yellareddyguda, babbugudaand Guttala Begumpet are concerned, as he did not commit any mistake in his functioning as the village officer of those villages. In other words, it is contended by him that the petitioner cannot be punished or suspended from functioning as the vil





























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