IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
Agarwala and Brij Mohan Lall, JJ.
JAYANTI PRASAD - Appellant
Versus
THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH - Respondents
Civil Misc. 7749 Of 1951
Decided On : 05/23/1951
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA, ARTICLE 311 - CIVIL SERVANT - TERMINATION OF SERVICE - NOTICE - ARTICLE 311 NOT APPLICABLE TO TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE WHOSE SERVICES ARE TERMINATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH CONDITIONS OF SERVICE.
Fact of the Case:
The applicant, a temporary employee in the Civil Supplies department of Uttar Pradesh, was served with a notice of termination of service without being given an opportunity to show cause against the action. The notice stated that the applicant's services were being terminated due to his bad reputation.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that Article 311 of the Constitution of India, which provides for protection against dismissal, removal, or reduction in rank of civil servants, did not apply to the applicant's case because his services were being terminated in accordance with the conditions of his service.
Issues: Whether Article 311 of the Constitution of India applies to a temporary employee whose services are terminated in accordance with the conditions of service.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that Article 311 of the Constitution of India does not apply to cases in which a person's services are terminated at the expiry of the term for which he was engaged, or at the expiry of the period of notice by which, in accordance with the conditions of his service, his services could be terminated.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the applicant's petition.
( 1 ) THIS is an application of one Jayanti Prasad Srivastava, an employee in the Civil Supplies department of the State of Uttar Pradesh, for the issue of a writ of mandamus directing the State of Uttar Pradesh, the District Magistrate of Mirzapur and the District Supply Officer of mirzapur, not to terminate the services of the applicant without complying with Article 311, sub-clause (2) of the Constitution of India, and praying further that the notice of termination of service dated 26th April 1951 given by the District Magistrate, Mirzapur, be declared to be inoperative and bad in law. The facts disclosed in the affidavit submitted along with the application are as follows.
( 2 ) THE applicant is employed as supply inspector in the District Supply Office at Mirzapur. On the 24th April 1951, the Honble Sri Chandra Bhan Gupta, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, state of Uttar Pradesh visited the district of Mirzapur. At the instance of the said Minister, the applicant was served with a notice dated the 26th April 1951, under the signature of the District magistrate, Mirzapur, notifying that the applicants services were to be terminated on the expiry of one months notice, that is, with effect from the 26th May 1951. The notice was in the following terms : "all the posts in the Food and Civil Supplies Department are temporary posts and these have been extended from lime to time according to the requirements. The conditions of service of these posts stipulate that the services of the Incumbents are liable to termination with one months notice. 2. Due to his bad reputation in the Rationing and Supply organization it has been decided to retrench Sri Jayanti Prasad Srivastava, Supply Inspector.
( 3 ) ARTICLE 311 of the Constitution of India requires that every person who holds any civil post under the Union shall before dismissal or removal or reduction in rank be given an opportunity of showing cause against the action proposed to be taken in regard to him. It is not admitted that this provision has any application to the category of personnel in question, but assuming that it does, I am satisfied that in view of the person involved and the nature of reasons for retrenchment it does not seem reasonable to give the individual an opportunity to show cause why his services should not be terminated.
( 4 ) IT is, therefore, ordered that the services of Sri Jayanti Prasad Srivastava, Supply Inspector, shall be terminated after a month of the service of this notice. One monthss notice as stipulated in the condition of service is hereby given to him. N. S. Sirohi, district Magistrate, Mirzapur. April. 26, 1961. "
3. The applicant alleges that his reputation was not bad as the previous quarterly reports would show, that he made a representation to the District Magistrate on the 10th May 1951 questioning the basis of the charge of bad reputation against him and that the District Magistrate thereupon ordered the withdrawal of the charge of bad reputation while confirming the previous order of termination of service. The case for the applicant is that Article 311 of the Constitution applies to his case and that the State Government was not entitled to terminate his services without following the procedure laid down in Clause (2) of that Article. Clause (2) provides, "no such person as aforesaid (that is a person who is a member of a civil service of the Union or an all-India service or a civil service of a State or holds a civil post under the Union or a State)shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in rank until he has been given a reasonable opportunity of showing cause against the action proposed to be taken in regard to him. " there are three provisos to this clause under which the clause will not apply. One of these provisos (b) is "where an authority empowered to dismiss or remove a person or to reduce him in rank is satisfied that for some reason, to be recorded by that authority in writing, it is not reasonably practic
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