MEWA SINGH Vs. SHIROMANI GURDWARA PRABANDHAK COMMITTEE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Leave granted.

(2.) There are 4 appellants. All are employees of the respondent Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), a body constituted under the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 (for short, the 'Act'). They were, however, dismissed from service by order dated January 13, 1996. They approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution. High Court, by the impugned judgment dated April 18, 1998, refused to grant any relief to them and rather told them to avail alternative remedy provided under Section 142 of the Act by filing appeal against the orders of dismissal to the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission. Aggrieved these four employees have approached this Court.

(3.) Appellants contend that not only that the High Court wrongly refused to exercise its jurisdiction but the impugned judgment is contrary to its earlier Division Bench decision in Ajaib Singh v. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (CWP No. 7236 of 1996) decided on October 3, 1996 wherein the High Court held that Section 142 did not provide any alternative remedy to a dismissed employee of the respondent.