CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL CHANDIGARH BENCH Chandigarh, the 3 r d day of December, 2025 CORAM:

HON’BLE MR. RAMESH SINGH THAKUR, MEMBER (J)

HON’BLE MRS. RASHMI SAXENA SAHNI, MEMBER (A)

Praween Kumar Singh, Aged 47 years, S/O Sh. Mohan S ingh, W orking as COS/S&T, O/o A ssistant Divisional Signal & T elecom E ngineer, Sirhind.

...Applicant (By Advocate: Mr. Raj Kumar Sharma, Sr. Adv. with M r. M andeep S ingh and Mr. Abhimanyu Rana)

VERSUS

1. Union of India through General Manager, Northern R ailway, B aroda House, New Delhi.

2. General Manager (Vigilance), Northern Railway, B aroda H ouse, N ew Delhi.

3. PCSTE, Northern Railway, Baroda House, New Delhi.

4. Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railway, Ambala Cantt.

5.Sr. Divisional Signal & Telecom Engineer, Northern R ailway, A mbala Cantt.

6. Sh. Rakesh Kumar (Enquiry Officer), DSTE, Divisional O ffice, N orthern Railway, Ambala Cantt.

…Respondents (By Advocate: Mr. K.K. Thakur)

O R D E R

Per: RAMESH SINGH THAKUR, MEMBER (J):

1. This Original Application, filed under S ection 1 9 o f t he Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, has been made a gainst t he f ollowing orders/seeking the following reliefs:

“i) Against disciplinary proceedings initiated against the a pplicant i n pursuance of the charge-sheet issued vide M emorandum N o. A-212/Sig./UMB/01/2023 dated 20.02.2023, copy attached a s A nnexure A -1, including Order No. A-212/Sug/08/UMB/2022 dated 2 5.04.2023 w hereby request of the applicant for keeping Departmental Proceedings i n a beyance has not been accepted, copy attached as Annexure A -2, O rder d ated 15.05.2023, copy attached as Annexure A-3, whereby I nquiry O fficer h as been appointed by the Disc. Authority, Order dated 2 5.10.2023, c opy attached as Annexure A-4, whereby another Inquiry O fficer h as b een appointed by the Disc. Authority and order dated 17.09.2023, c opy a ttached as Annexure A-5, issued by the Respondent No.5 whereby r equest o f t he applicant for staying the departmental proceedings due t o p endency o f t he Criminal proceedings has been rejected whereas criminal c ase o n t he s ame facts and same issue is pending in the Court of law a nd t he p roceedings i n the departmental case was likely to prejudice defence o f t he a pplicant a nd direction issued to Inquiry Officer to continue the departmental p roceedings and letter dated 25.10.2024, copy attached as Annexure A -6, w hereby n ext date of hearing has been fixed as 08.11.2024 and quashing thereof.

ii) For issuance of directions to the respondents to s tay t he d epartmental proceedings started in pursuance of the charge-sheet issued v ide Memorandum dated 20.02.2023, Annexure A-1, till conclusion o f t he c riminal case registered vide FIR RC0052022A0022 dated 28/6/2022 b y P .S. C BI, ACB, Chandigarh, arising out of the same incident and t he s ame a llegations on the complaint, in which challan has already been p resented, c harges framed and pending before the Court of Sh. Rajeev G oyal, S pecial J udge (CBI), Haryana, Panchkula is fixed on 10.02.2025 for prosecution Evidence.

iii) And/or for grant of any other relief to which the applicant i s f ound e ntitled under the rules and law.”

2. Facts of the case in brief are as follows. The a pplicant, p resently working a s Chief Office Superintendent (COS), Signal & T elecom, u nder O/o Assistant Divisional Signal & Telecom Engineer, S irhind, N orthern Railway, initially joined the respondent department o n 0 9.03.2006 a s Assistant Station Master. On being medically de-categorised, h e w as appointed as Senior Clerk on 27.11.2006. He was t hereafter p romoted as Office Superintendent on 16.03.2012 and further p romoted t o t he post of Chief Office Superintendent on 25.09.2019. H e h as s erved a t various stations and is presently posted at Ambala.

3. It is averred by the applicant that his entire s ervice c areer h as remained unblemished. He was never issued a ny c harge-sheet o r memorandum prior to the present proceedings a nd h is A C