ORDER :

Petitioner is before this Court calling in question an order dated 3-01-2022 passed by respondents declining to accede to the request of the petitioner for engaging the services of a Legal Practitioner to defend him in the departmental enquiry.

2. Heard Sri.Vittal S Teli, learned counsel appearing for petitioner and Sri.Arun L Neelopant and Sri.K.S.Jadhav, learned counsel representing the respondent No.1; Sri.N.R.Kuppellur, learned counsel for respondent Nos.3 and 4.

3. Facts adumbrated are as follows:

The petitioner is an employee of the United India Insurance Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Company’ for short). He joins the service of the Company on 14-10-1982 as a Development Officer and was serving as a Divisional Manager at the relevant point in time. When the petitioner was in the cadre of Divisional Manager, he was to retire on attaining the age of superannuation on 31-03-2021. Two proceedings emerge prior to his retirement, one registration of a crime in Crime No.10 of 2019 for offences punishable under Sections 197, 209, 120B, 420, 109, 468, 471, 465, 464 r/w 34 of the IPC. Investigation in the said case was pending. At that point in time, charge sheet