GOVINDAN T C Vs. INSPECTOR OF POST OFFICES

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner was appointed as an Extra Departmental Postal Mail Runner on 6 7 1960 in the Kulathoor Post Office. He was functioning as such till 31 8 1960. On that day he was discharged from the post of Mail Runner. Subsequently he was appointed as an Extra Departmental Delivery Agent when a vacancy arose and continued in that capacity till his services were terminated by an order dated 2 11 1963, Ext. P-3. That order is in these terms:

(2.) In an appeal to the second respondent, the Superintendent of Post Offices, an order Ext. P-5 was passed stating that there is no reason to cancel the order Ext. P-3. There was a further appeal to the Director of Posts and Telegraphs, Kerala Circle, Trivandrum. That appeal too was dismissed as seen from Ext. P-9 order. The petitioner took a further appeal before the Post Master General, Kerala Circle, Trivandrum and since no orders have been passed by the Post Master General, this Court has been approached by this writ application.

(3.) According to the petitioner, the action taken against him is punitive and is the imposition of punishment amounting to dismissal or removal from service within the meaning of Art.311 (2) of the Constitution and in so far as no reasonable opportunity was granted to the petitioner to state his case, the orders Exts. P-3, P-5 and P-9 cannot be sustained and should be quashed.