2010 Supreme(All) 2827
[2010(7) ADJ 780 (DB)(LB)]
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
(Lucknow Bench)
BEFORE : UMA NATH SINGH AND DR. SATISH CHANDRA, JJ.
Smt. RUBAIDA KHAN …Petitioner
Versus
STATE OF U.P. AND OTHERS …Respondents
(Misc. Bench No. 2883 of 2010, decided on 20th August, 2010)
Counsel :
O.P. Srivastava for the Petitioner; C.S.C., Girish Chandra Sinha, S.C. Kashish for the Respondents.
Headnote:U.P. Municipalities Act, 1916—Section 48(2)—President Nagar Panchayat—Financial and administrative powers—Ceasing of—Show-cause notice—Petitioner prima facie found guilty of violating the provision of Section 48(2) of the Act—Enquiry Officer has given opportunity to the petitioner to sumbit her explanation—Held, for exercising of the power under the proviso to sub-section (2) of Section 48, there is no requirement for affording an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner or for observance of principle of natural justice. [Paras 16 to 19]
Result; Order Accordingly.
Cases cited :
2008(3) ADJ 315 (DB) (Para 18); (2005) 1 UPLBEC 40; (2009) 1 ADJ 487; (2003) 3 UPLBEC 2587 (Para 9); 2008(6) ADJ 16 (DB); 2007(5) ADJ 381 (DB); 2008(3) ADJ 315 (DB) (Para 11); AIR 1985 SC 582 (Para 17)-Referred.
Hon’ble Dr. Satish Chandra, J.—By this petition, the petitioner has challenged the impugned show-cause notice dated 19th March, 2010 issued by the State Govt. under Section 48(2) of U.P. Municipalities Act, 1916 (hereinafter referred to as Act) by which the financial and administrative powers, functioning and duties of the President of Nagar Panchayat Parshadepur, District Rae Bareli has been ceased.
2. Learned counsel for the petitioner, Sri O.P.Srivastava submits that the said notice has been issued on extraneous consideration for such allegations which have no substance. One Executive Officer (earlier known as Bakshi), namely Sri Bhimsen Sonkar (opposite party No. 5) was already working as Executive Officer when the petitioner took oath of the office of the President on 15.11.2006. The said Executive Officer has made certain complaints against the petitioner to pressurize the petitioner to revise his pay according to the 6th Pay Commission and pay salary but without providing the service book. He further submits that the work and conduct of the Executive Officer was very bad and he was not cooperating with the smooth functioning of the Nagar Panchayat. The said officer was not attending the office regularly and was neither marking his presence in the Attendance-register nor mentioning any detail of his tour/visit in the concerned register, so the petitioner passed an order dated 19.3.2009 requiring the Executive Officer to attend the office properly by recording the entries in the Attendance register. He has drawn our attention towards Annexures No. 2 and 3 of the writ petition. When the said officer did not respond properly, the petitioner wrote a letter on 3.4.2009 requesting him again to supply information in writing pertaining to his service book.
3. The officer did not supply the service book despite repeated requests and he remained absent from duty under the pretext that he had gone Rae Bareli. The petitioner wrote a letter dated 12.5.2002 (Annexure No. 8) to the District Magistrate as well as Additional District Magistrate (Administration), Rae Bareli informing the prevailing situation. The copy of the said letter was endorsed to the Director, Local Bodies, Uttar Pradesh. Learned counsel for the petitioner also submits that the Executive Officer (opposite-party No. 5) is posted in Nagar Panchayat, Parshadepur for the last about five years but he is not residing at the place of posting and he is not attending the duties by coming to the office in time. The Executive Officer has not produced the service book despite repeated requests, as mentioned in Annexure No. 9 to the writ petition. According to the counsel for the petitioner, the employees of Nagar Panchayat had also lodged complaint against the said Executive Officer Sri Bhimsen Sonkar as he is demanding bribe for making the payment of salary and for continuing the Safai Karmchari. For this purpose, he has drawn our attention to Annexure No. 10 to the writ petition.
4. Sri O.P.Srivastava, learned counsel for the petitioner, has also drawn our attention towards Annexure No. 12 to the writ petition, which is a letter written by the petitioner on 19.8.2009 to the District Magistrate, Rae Bareli stating that Sri Sonkar is involved in criminal cases. There are seven criminal cases against him, out of which he has also been convicted in one case. The Executive Officer has grabbed the land of Gram Sabha, Manikpur and got the same entered in his name in the Khatauni. The said officer made manipulation and got the name of his wife entered against the 6 bigha land of Gram Sabha, Manikpur illegally. He also leveled the several charges by stating that the officer has made her fabricated signatures on certain documents and probably in his service book, hence he is not prepared to show the said service book. The petitioner wrote a letter to the authorities on 22.12.2009 and 14.1.2010 (Annexures No. 15 and 16) to take action against the said officer. Learned counsel also