10. The observation relied upon by the counsel of the petitioner (paragraph 5 of
this judgement) were made in the light of the facts of the Bagde case. In that case
no opportunity was given to the charged officer before reversing the finding on the
charges. This is not the case here.
'The applicability of the principles of natural justice is not a rule of thumb or a
strait jacket formula as an abstract proposition of law.' {Maharashtra State
Board of HS Education Vs S. Gandhi 1991 (2) SCC 716 (22)}
'[They] are not rigid rules [but] are flexible and their application depends
upon the setting.'