2017 Supreme(All) 2469
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : BHARATI SAPRU AND SIDDHARTH, JJ.
Dr. ARUN KUMAR WAHI ....Petitioner
Versus
BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY, VARANASI AND ANOTHER ....Respondents
(Civil Misc. Writ Petition No. 30811 of 2007, decided on 15th December, 2017)
Counsel :
V.K. Srivastava and Shashi Nandan for the Petitioner; V.K. Upadhyaya, Pankaj Naqvi, Ajit Kumar Singh, S.C. and V.B. Singh for the Respondents.
Headnote:CCS (Pension) Rule, 1972 – Rule 9(1) – Pension – Reduction of – Petitioner worked as Professor in respondent-University – Suspended and show-cause notice for being engaged in serious academic misconduct – Enquiry Officer appointed – No notice of enquiry served on petitioner – Respondents not conducted fair enquiry, as per procedure, nor passed punishment order in accordance with law – Disciplinary inquiry against petitioner illegal procedurally and also substantially continued beyond date of superannuation, consequently, such order illegal – Therefore, punishment of deduction of 20% of petitioners’ pension without sanction of law – Respondents directed to release deducted pension of deceased petitioner to his widow with interest. [Paras 38 to 44]
Result; Petition Allowed.
Hon’ble Siddharth, J.—Heard Sri Shashi Nandan, learned Senior Counsel ably assisted by Sri V.K. Srivastava, learned counsel for the petitioner and Sri V.K. Upadhyaya, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Sri Ajit Kumar Singh, learned counsel for the respondents.
2. The petitioner has filed the above noted writ petition, praying for the following reliefs:
(i) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of Certiorari quashing the orders dated 18.8.2006 (Annexure 11 to the writ petition), 13/17.12.2005 (Annexure-8 to the writ petition) passed by the Vice-Chancellor, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and the resolution of the Executive Council dated 7.7.2006 (Annexure 10 to the writ petition).
(ii) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus restraining the respondents from making any reduction from the pension of the petitioner on the basis of the above mentioned impugned orders and the resolution of the Executive Council.
(iii) Issue any other writ, order or direction which this Hon’ble Court may deem, fit and proper in the nature and circumstances of the case, AND
(iv) To award cost of the petition in favour of the petitioner.
3. The petitioner’s case is that while working as Professor in the respondent University, he was placed under suspension by the order dated 24.6.2003 of the Vice-Chancellor. Prior to this, resolution No. 176 was passed by the Executive Committee of the University on 23.3.2003, whereby a decision was taken for issuing notices to the petitioner as well as to two others Professors, namely Prof. R.L.Khosa and Prof. P.V.Sharma, to show-cause as to why they should not be removed from services of the University for being engaged in serious academic misconduct. A Charge-sheet dated 21.10.2003 was issued to all the 3 Professors and the petitioner submitted a preliminary reply dated 7.2.2004 denying the charges. One Justice S.K.Mahajan was appointed Enquiry Officer on 23.1.2004 to hold enquiry into the charges against the petitioner but he expressed his inability to proceed with the enquiry and another Enquiry Officer, Sri A.K.Garde, was appointed Enquiry Officer on 11.10.2004, when on 30.6.2004 the petitioner as well as Dr. R.L.Khosa had retired from service. Legally no enquiry could have continued after the retirement of the petitioner.
4. After retirement, the petitioner was appointed as Director, College of Pharmacy, Institute of Foreign Trade & Management, Moradabad and without service of any notice an enquiry report dated 16.9.2005 was submitted by the Enquiry Officer. He found Charge Nos. 1 to 6,9 and 10 proved and Charge Nos. 7, 8 and 11 were found not proved. The Registrar forwarded the Enquiry Report to the petitioner alongwith a Show-cause Notice at his Moradabad Address to submit his objections and the petitioner filed the same on 21.11.2005. The Vice-Chancellor without considering the objections of the petitioner by the order dated 13/17.12.2005 imposed penalty of deduction of 20% of the pension of the petitioner as per the Rule-9 (I) of CCS (Pension) Rule, 1972.
5. The respondents have filed their Counter-affidavit stating that before placing the petitioner under suspension on 23.6.2003 a fact finding Committee was constituted by the Vice-Chancellor on 11.5.1997 to examine the complaint and Counter complaint made by some teachers of the department of Pharmacy against each other and it submitted its report on 24.6.1998 substantiating the allegation against the petitioner of using un-parliamentary language. D.Sc.(Honoris Causa) conferred on the petitioner was found to be fake and other allegations against him were found proved. Therefore, a charge-sheet was issued to him and disciplinary enquiry was initiated against him. The petitioner never took the permission to work as a Director in the College of Pharmacy at Moradabad in accordance with Rule-10 of the C.C.S. (Pension) Rules, 1972, nor ever informed the University about his changed address. He was present in Review hearing