Mahavir Singh vs Dda & Ors on 3 December, 2012
16. Learned counsel for the respondent made an endeavour to contend that in the light of the decision of this Court in Union of India v. K. V. Janakiraman, (1991) 4 SCC 109 the Sealed Cover Procedure can be resorted to only after Charge Memo is received or a charge-sheet is filed and that unless such an event had happened at the relevant time the Government employee cannot be denied of his promotion, if he is otherwise entitled to it. Learned counsel also submitted that Janakiraman was since followed in Union of India v. Dr. Sudha Salhan, (1998) 3 SCC 394 and Bank of India v. Degala Suryanarayana, (1999) 5 SCC 762. The clauses of second paragraph of the Sealed Cover Procedure considered in Janakiraman were not those involved in the present case and hence that decision is of no avail to the respondent. In the other two decisions the facts warranted application of the ratio contained in Janakiraman. The added factor in these two cases was that the public servant concerned had been exonerated of the charges framed by the criminal Courts. In the present case the respondent is still facing the trial for serious offences, and hence the situation is different.