BHARAT PRASAD SINGH Vs. MEGHALAYA STATE ELECTRICITY BOARD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By means of this writ petition, the petitioner has assailed the legality and validity of the order imposing penalty of stoppage of increment for a period of one year and also the order passed by the appellate authority affirming the said order of penalty.

(2.) The facts narrated in the writ petition are that the petitioner while serving under the respondents as Lower Division Assistant (LDA) was sent from the office to one business establishment known as M/S Bhajanlal, to collect four calculators. On his visit, the petitioner was asked by one of the inmates of the business establishment as to whether he knew one Sri N. K. Dutta, Sub Divisional Officer, Task Force. The said inmates also asked the petitioner if he could help to resolve the matter relating to sealing of electricity meters, to which the petitioner replied that the higher authorities could only settle such matters and he being the only LDA, was not in a position to render any help. The help that was asked for by the said inmate was in respect of the electricity meters which had been sealed.

(3.) The petitioner intimated the Chair man, Meghalaya State Electricity Board (Me.S.E.B.) about the aforesaid incident and the Chairman directed the petitioner to make a statement containing allegations against said Sri N. K. Dutta, which the petitioner declined to do. Further statement made in the writ petition is that the Chairman then called one Sri K. P. Roy, the then Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary, to his chamber and asked him to get the necessary statement from the petitioner and also directed him to suspend the petitioner in case he declines to give the statement. Situated thus and the pressure being mounted on him, the petitioner made the Annexure (ii), statement which is reproduced below :