( 1 ) RAMA Shanker Srivastava who has filed this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution was an employee in the Northern Railway. He was originally selected for appointment by the East indian and Oudh and Trihut Railway Joint Service Commission for the post of a ticket collector and was then appointed as such on 29-8-1949. According to the opposite party, the Divisional Superintendent, Northern Railway, Allahabad, the actual date of appointment was 6-9-1949. The exact date of appointment being immaterial, it is not necessary to express any view as to which of the two dates is correct. On 20th of July 1950, a charge sheet was served on the petitioner by the Assistant superintendent Commercial specifying seven forms of punishment and calling upon the petitioner to show cause why the penalty of dismissal or any lesser penalty be not imposed on him on the grounds mentioned in the charge sheet. The petitioner was allowed seven clear days from the date of the receipt of the notice to give his explanation and was told that any representation which he made in that connection would be taken into consideration by the competent authority before passing orders. It was al