VENKATESWARA RAO Vs. VENKAT RAO

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is an employee of the Dock Labour, Board, Visakhapatnam. He works there as a Pump Attendant. By an Order, dated 1-8-1984, the petitioner was reverted as a disciplinary measure from the post of Pump Attendant to that of Kalasi. Challenging that order of reversion, the petitioner has filed W.P. No. 12558 of 1984.

(2.) The Charge against the petitioner is that while working as a Pump Attendant, he had failed to switch off the street lights by operating one switch. It his happened duririg 24-7-1983 to 30-7-1983. life charge sheet that has been served upon the petitioner on 16-8-1983 as a prelude to the passing of order of reversion on 1-8-1984 reads in parts as follows:

(3.) The second charge also alleges that the Writ Petitioner did not attend to the switching off the street lights from 24-7-1983 to 30-7-1983 and that as a result the street lights in the colony could not be switched off upto 7-30 A.M. every day during the said week. There are no other allegations made against the petitioner. It was on that basis, an enquiry was conducted and the petitioner was reverted as a Kalasi. Challenging that order of reversion, the petitioner has filed the aforesaid W.P. No. 12558/83. In the Writ Petition, one of the grounds the petitioner has taken in support of his prayer to invalidate the order of reversion is that "the respondent (the Dock Labour Board) failed to see that the switching off the street lights is not duty of a Pump Attendant. The Petitioner Who belongs to scheduled caste has been treated with contempt in various ways"