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The petitioners assert to be appointed on contract as Paramedical Staff in the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme [ECHS], Polyclinic, Pathanamthitta. They say that they were appointed a few years ago and that they were continued as paramedics by a repeated extension of the contracts year to year. According to them, their contracts were last renewed in the year 2016 and it would conclude only by June or July, 2017. However, while so, Exts. P3 to P5 orders were issued by the Station Commander of the ECHS, the 2nd respondent herein, terminating the contractual employment of the petitioners with effect from 20.01.2017. The petitioners impugn these orders in this writ petition as being illegal and contrary to the terms of their contractual engagement.

5. In contrary submissions, the learned Central Government Counsel refers to Ext.P11, which are the terms of the contract entered into by the petitioners with the competent among the respondents. He invites my attention to Clauses 11 & 12 thereof, which say that the ECHS shall have the right to terminate the agreement by giving one month's notice or one month's consideration to the contract employee, but without prejudice to the generality of the right of termination on the grounds shown therein. Clause 12 of Ext.P13 provides that the contract employee shall also have the right to terminate the agreement before the expiry of the contract by giving one month's notice or by forgoing one month's contractual amount. He, therefore, says that Exts.P3 to P5 have been issued by the respondents under the prescription of Clauses 11 & 12 of Ext.P11 contract and that it has not been issued on account of any disciplinary action initiated or concluded against the petitioners. He asserts that the respondents have the choice under the contract to either terminate it without assigning any reasons by giving one month's notice or to initiate disciplinary action against the contract employees, if they are found to have committed misconduct. He says that if the latter option is exercised by the respondents, that is to initiate disciplinary action against the employee, then alone they will be hit by the rigor of the procedure for disciplinary action mandated under Ext.P10.