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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI
Manmohan, Navin Chawla, JJ.
Vikrant Singh Kundu - Appellant
Versus
Union of India - Respondent
W.P.(C) 8887 of 2021 & CMs 27620-21 of 2021
Decided On : 24-08-2021




Writ jurisdiction does not support vague allegations of misconduct without specific parties, nor allows participation in future selections after serious violations.

Headnote:(A) Disciplinary Action - Assessment of Moral Turpitude - The writ petition challenges the imposition of moral turpitude by the Army, claiming it is illegal and harsh. The petitioner alleges that a series of penalties were unjust and stemmed from animosity among cadets. (Paras 2, 3, 6, 7)

(B) Writ Jurisdiction - The court found the petition involved unverifiable assertions and complaints on disputed facts without proper impleadment of other parties. It ruled that allowing the petitioner to participate in future selections would be inappropriate given the serious allegations against him. (Paras 6, 8)

(C) Abuse of Process - The court agreed that the subsequent petition was an abuse of process, as the petitioner had previously withdrawn an almost identical petition without leave. (Para 8)

Facts of the case:
The petitioner challenged remarks of moral turpitude and sought modifications related to his future applications in the Armed Forces following multiple penalties for alleged misconduct, including forgery and misconduct accusations stemming from cadet life.

Findings of Court:
This Court found the claims unverifiable and dismissed the petition, agreeing that participation in future selections would not be appropriate given the circumstances.

Issues: The core issues revolved around the legitimacy of moral turpitude claims and the appropriateness of allowing the petitioner to reapply given serious allegations against him.

Ratio Decidendi: The court emphasized that vague allegations without specific parties identified could not form the basis of a review in writ jurisdiction, emphasizing that maintaining the integrity of selection processes is paramount.

Result: Writ petition dismissed.

Table of Content
1. legal basis for challenging moral turpitude (Para 2 , 3)
2. claims of animosity and allegations against petitioner (Para 4)
3. accusation of abuse of court process (Para 5)
4. court's views on claims and merits of the petition (Para 6 , 7 , 8)
5. final dismissal of the writ petition (Para 9 , 10)

JUDGMENT

Manmohan, J.: (Oral)--The petition has been heard by way of video conferencing.

2. Present writ petition has been filed challenging the remark of moral turpitude against the petitioner passed by the Respondent-Army vide letter dated 25th May 2017 on the ground that it was illegal, disproportionate, and unduly harsh. Petitioner seeks modification of the withdrawal letter dated 25th October 2017 as withdrawal simplicitor without adversely affecting the future selection in Armed Forces. Petitioner also seeks direction to the Respondents to allow the Petitioner to apply for Combined Defence Services Written Examination to participate in the future selection processes of the Armed Forces, subject to the outcome of this Writ Petition.

3. Learned counsel for the Petitioner states that the Petitioner was imposed with multiple penalties i.e. relegation from the original course to junior course and again by terminating his training. He emphasises that in the termination order, the word "Moral Turpitude" is so loosely used that it closes all the doors of a decent career for the Petitioner in all the defence academies.

4. He states that during the first term of training, the Petitioner was subjected to high handedness by some of his senior cadets to which the Petitioner objected and therefore, some senior cadets developed animosity towards the Petitioner. He contends that due to revenge some allegations were levelled against the Petitioner such as using some other cadet's cycle by changing the cycle number, and altering the medical prescription slips to obtain one day's extra rest etc. He states that even though the Petitioner was already relegated to repeat the first semester exam, he was called to sit in the Arabic final examination for the first term for the sake of formality and did not realise that a book on the subject was already kept on the Petitioner's desk. He emphasises that even though it was later found that the book did not belong to the Petitioner, the Petitioner was charged with attempting to copy.

5. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondents who appears on an advance notice states that the present writ petition is an abuse of process of court as an earlier writ petition filed by the petitioner seeking the same reliefs had been withdrawn by the petitioner without any leave or liberty.

6. Having perused the paper book, this Court is of the view that the petition involves unverifiable or at least disputed questions of facts inasmuch as it levels allegations against some senior cadets without naming or impleading them. Such a vague and general writ petition cannot be entertained and that too after a gap of more than four years, inasmuch as all the impugned orders had been passed in May 2017.

7. This Court is also of the view that it cannot be a coincidence that the petitioner was involved in four serious misdemeanours i.e. forging category slip, obliterating bike number, stealing thin client of another cadet and obliterating its serial number as well as using unfair means in a semester exam. Keeping in view the aforesaid as well as the relegation letter dated 16th May, 2017 and letter dated 25th May, 2017 withdrawing the petitioner on disciplinary grounds, this Court is of the view that it would not be appropriate to permit the petitioner in writ jurisdiction to participate in future selection process of Armed Forces.

8. This Court is also in agreement with the contention of learned counsel for the respondents that the present petition is an abuse of the processes of Court inasmuch as the petitioner withdrew the earlier writ petition to avail alternate remedy, if any, however, has again file

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