Union Of India (Uoi) And Ors. vs Rabindranath Mazumdar on 18 August, 1965
8. On behalf of the appellants the attention of the Court was also drawn to another
decision of the Supreme Court reported in (1963) Supp (1) SCR 266, Union Territory of Tripura, Agartala v. Gopal Chander. In this case the respondent was appointed as a Constable in the Tripura Police Force. The employment was temporary. In accordance with Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Temporary Service) Rules, 1949, his services were terminated by giving one month's notice. The respondent appealed. The Appellate authority wrote to him that as he was an exconvict for theft, nothing could be done for him. The respondent filed a writ petition challenging the order of termination. The Judicial Commissioner held that the order was one of dismissal as punishment on the ground that the respondent was an ex-convict, and as no reasonable opportunity was given to the respondent to show cause, the protection of Article 311 was not afforded to him and the order terminating the respondent's employment was invalid. It was held by the Supreme Court that the respondent had not been dismissed by way of punishment and there was no violation of Article 311(2). The order in terms merely terminated the service of the respondent; there was nothing in it to suggest that the termination was on account of the respondent being an ex-convict. It could not be, in the circumstances of this case, inferred that an order of dismissal was camouflaged as an order of termination and it could not be assumed that an order, ex-facie one of termination, was intended to be one of dismissal. The onus to prove such intention lay upon the employee.