Rita Mishra And Ors. Etc. Etc. vs Director, Primary Education, Bihar And ... on 23 July, 1987
The point was again examined
by a Full Bench of the Patna High Court in Rita
Mishra v. Director, Primary Education [Rita
Mishra v. Director, Primary Education, 1987
SCC OnLine Pat 159 : AIR 1988 Pat 26 : 1988
Lab IC 907 : 1987 BBCJ 701] . The question
posed before the Full Bench was whether a pub-
lic servant was entitled to payment of salary to
him for the work done despite the fact that his
letter of appointment was forged, fraudulent or
illegal. The Full Bench held: (SCC OnLine Pat
para 13: AIR p. 32, para 13)
'13. It is manifest from the above
that the rights to salary, pension and other ser-
vice benefits are entirely statutory in nature in
public service. Therefore, these rights, including
the right to salary, spring from a valid and legal
appointment to the post. Once it is found that
the very appointment is illegal and is non est in
the eye of the law, no statutory entitlement for
salary or consequential rights of pension and
other monetary benefits can arise. In particular,
if the very appointment is rested on forgery, no
statutory right can flow from it.'