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2024 Supreme(Del) 336

V. KAMESWAR RAO, SAURABH BANERJEE
Ex. Sub. R. K. Sharma – Appellant
Versus
Union of India – Respondent


Advocates appeared:
Mr. Ankur Chhibber and Mr. Anshuman Mehrotra, Advocates, for the Petitioner.
Ms. Monica Arora, CGSC with Mr. Subhrodeep Saha and Mr. Kushal, Advocates, for the Respondents.

Judgement Key Points

Based on the provided legal document, the key points are as follows:

  1. The court emphasized the limited scope of interference under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, clarifying that it does not function as a second appellate authority in disciplinary proceedings, nor does it reappreciate evidence or reassess factual findings unless there is a clear violation of procedural principles or fundamental justice (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) .

  2. The case involved a petitioner, a Sub-Inspector in the Border Security Force, who was tried by a General Security Force Court (GSFC) for charges under the BSF Act, 1968, including criminal misconduct and acts prejudicial to good order and discipline (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) .

  3. The disciplinary proceedings were conducted in accordance with the law, and the punishment awarded was deemed appropriate to the gravity of the offenses. The court found no element of bias, unfairness, mala fide conduct, or arbitrariness in the proceedings (!) (!) .

  4. The petitioner’s challenge to the proceedings, including claims of procedural violations and the alleged vengeful motives behind initiating disciplinary action, was rejected as the court found no substantial grounds to interfere with the findings or the process (!) (!) (!) .

  5. The court clarified that its role is not to act as a court of appeal or revision but to ensure that the disciplinary process was conducted lawfully, fairly, and in accordance with principles of natural justice. Since the proceedings were found to be lawful and fair, and evidence was properly considered, there was no justification for reappraisal of the evidence (!) (!) .

  6. The court dismissed the petition, confirming that there was no violation of procedural safeguards or legal principles that would warrant interference, and upheld the validity of the disciplinary action taken against the petitioner (!) .

  7. The decision underscores that courts should exercise restraint in disciplinary matters and only intervene in exceptional circumstances where procedural irregularities or violations of natural justice are evident (!) (!) .

  8. The court also noted that the petitioner failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the remittance of large sums of money to his relatives over an extended period, and the proceedings were conducted without bias or prejudice, further supporting the legitimacy of the disciplinary process (!) (!) (!) .

These points collectively highlight the court’s stance on limited judicial review in disciplinary proceedings, emphasizing adherence to procedural fairness and the importance of not substituting factual assessments with appellate reappraisal unless clear violations are established.


JUDGMENT

Saurabh Banerjee, J. (Oral) - As per facts, the petitioner was appointed to the rank of Sub-Inspector (Direct Entry) in the Border Security Force [(hereinafter referred to as BSF)] on 14.12.1987. As per the petitioner, based on some anonymous complaints, a Staff Court of Inquiry [(hereinafter referred to as SCOI)] was conducted against him from 10.05.1999 to 27.10.1999. Thereafter, on 10.05.2000, the Commandant 33 Bn BSF, under whose command the petitioner was attached for disciplinary purposes, conducted a Record of Evidence [(hereinafter referred to as RoE)] against him from 27.05.2000 to 04.10.2000. Subsequent thereto, the petitioner was tried by a General Security Force Court [(hereinafter referred to as GSFC)] from 16.01.2003 to 04.02.2003 for the following charges:

    First Charge-Under Section 46, BSF Act, 1968: Committing a civil offence, that is to say, criminal misconduct, being public servant, found in possession of pecuniary resources disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he cannot satisfactorily account, an offence specified under Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, punishable under Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corr

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