JUDGMENT

Lokeshwar Singh Panta, J.

1.These appeals by special leave filed by the Chief Commercial Manager, South Central Railway and Others appellants herein, are directed against the common judgment and order dated 4th day of September, 2002 passed by a Division Bench of the High Court of Judicature, Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad in Writ Petition Nos. 1489/2002, 26165 and 25111/2001. By the impugned order, the High Court dismissed the writ petitions filed by the appellants against the order of the Central Administrative Tribunal [for short "the Tribunal"], Hyderabad Bench at Hyderabad. The Tribunal allowed the original applications of the respondents herein and quashed the orders of penalties imposed upon the respondents by the authority in departmental proceedings and further directed to reinstate the respondents in service.

2.These appeals are similar in nature and they involve identical questions of law and facts and, therefore, they are being decided by this common judgment.

3.The facts, which are not in controversy of the case, are set out below:-

C. A. No. 5031 of 2002:

4.M. Anjaneyulu, the respondent in C.A. No. 5031/2003, at the relevant time, was working as Head Train Ticke