Elipe Dharma Rao, J.

The first respondent was a Driver with the writ petitioners and a charge memo. was issued to him on 22. 1994, on allegations that he unauthorisedly absented from attending duty from 15. 1993 to 211. 1993 and did not carry out the instructions of the Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Nilgiri Division to rejoin duty and even though he was due to report for duty from 211. 1993, he did not send any intimation to the authorities concerned till 20.1.1994 and that he was arrested in Cr.No.1435 of 1993 by the Annathanapatty Police, Salem on 211. 1993 and was released on conditional bail on 30.11.1993, but he did not report the matter to the officials immediately, but only on 20.1.1994. A departmental enquiry was conducted, wherein the Enquiry Officer, by his report dated 210. 1994, held that all the three charges levelled against the delinquent employee were proved. Thereupon, accepting the report of the Enquiry Officer, the disciplinary authority/the Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, by his order dated 1. 1995, imposed a punishment of removal from service on the respondent. The appeal preferred by the first respondent to the second writ petitioner