High Court Karnataka High Court

Sri Y R Rajashekharappa Since … vs The Karnataka State Road … on 1 June, 2011

Karnataka High Court
Sri Y R Rajashekharappa Since … vs The Karnataka State Road … on 1 June, 2011
Author: Ram Mohan Reddy
of the conductor. The diseipiinary authority issued a

notice cit. 22/11/2000, Calling upon the eendueterrrto

Show Cause as to why his past record 

disclosing irnpositian of m1h0rV»AApun1sh:I1'errt.(Bil '4 V 'V

eeeasiens for similar such rnisee._nd?;;1'et,;' shottlti 

Considered while imposing pitm-ishment.  eexzdtgefior, . *

having acknowledged the  1}e§,rert1t:e1e_es_fitiid not
submit an  authority, on
an independerrt iashsesstiietfii '   aeireumstances
and evidenee'    guilty of the
charge   dt. 18 / 4 / 2001,
imposedthe  eliemissal from service.

_;:':'»". ,T he eoridttleterf aggrieved by the said order of

  authority, filed a elaim statement U/s.

:'3':.€'_J'("-t?'tt_~_§A)"'eé'{'_§jj;e.t'V:'i:'idustrial Disputes Act, 1947', which was

V . regietereti 'tie I.D.A.No. 40/2001 before the Labour

.. H   '   Vt tlhieknaagalur. Resp0nder1t~Roac:I Transport

 C-Qrberation arraigned as 2?" party in the said





The Labour Court, having regard to the 

record and the evidence, both oral and  

confirmed the findings of the  

the conductor guilty of the,2eharge=,_2and aeesgrdirliglyldhyd'g

award dt. 22/8/2088, rejeet'ed_V'h'ethe liefelrerieeflfii l~lenee

this petition.

5. Learn   titioner contends
that ample  not extended to
the   and therefore the
findinnl-on dt. 4/ 12/2002, calls for

interference'.  Per Feofitra, learned counsel for the

22'*re$ponden't:Corporation points out to paragraphs '7

 2 order impugned, to contend that the

very eQ_nten~tion advanced by the learned Counsel for the

2'   petitioner was repelled by an elaborate discussion.

6. Having examined the order dt. 4/12/2002,
Ar1neX.l'v'L there ean be no more doubt in my mind that

the petitioner was extended more than reasonable



~E{}~

the bus and that the tioketless passengers  

penalty amount of RS300/~. According  u  '

Counsel, the findings recorded Zhyzfl R

Authority and the Labour tionrt hsnhtfers  (J
perversity V

8. Per Contra, leetrned  respondent

Corporation see}§s.__to ‘impugned as
being Well tioes not Call for
interference.’T;Le2rrfred C5.o’ovneei’*vp1a’f<:es reliance upon the
decision'-._pf Division Benches of this

court in NORTH KARNATAKA ROAD TRANSPORT

HUBLi———-& ANOTHER VS. S.S.PoLEsH11 and

I{AR;NArAr:gx'*«.S1'ATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION,

CEMQRAL _ BANGALORE & ANOTHER VS.

‘SATHYANARAYANZ in addition to the following decisions of

Court:

3(}€fi}{4) £<::r.L.J, 532%. {D8} Ersé

2

»_ ”2<o:2o3{2i; K;1r,I.,J. :25 {DB}

(11 REGIONAL MANAGER, URSRTC, E'i'A\PVAH <8:

VS. HGTI LAL & ANOTHER3

(2) REGIONAL MANAGER, RAJASTHAN

TRANSPORT CORPORATION AND SQHAN L«£"i};4' = .. ' , _
{3} DELHITRANSPORTCQRPORA'i'iO?\i \fS;"SI5iYAM;«LAL5__ V

9. Having heard ‘the__ Iearvnei Counsel, an –. L’

examination of the Passengers’-.V_» stetem_entuiE’,x.M22,
diseioses that they we;:ie’:”tie1¥ret§eé§.S~–.at”the time “of check
and their statement jV;ii’esenee of the
conductor who This document,
without that the delinquent
eondueton theiiiféire from the ticketless
passenggere tdid: for it and with an ulterior

motive to .vm’isap_propi*i.:§ite the same, carried the

pas$e’ngei3V in ti’1e….b.us from Hassan to Shantigrama.

The fir1ding«.reCorded by the Labour Court that the 10

tiekefiess’ “.p–aS’:e3engers were travelling from Hassan to

V -V Shan’tigi{em’;i; cannot be said to be perverse. The

igabonr ‘””C.3ourt, having regard to the overwhelming

‘ T’ (é«;;ii3;3 SCC ans

3 3

.. f2.€}()4€3)1v,.i_..J. i{)7’é€

material on record constituting arnpie and sufficient

basis for recording its findings, the rnannerr of

consideration undertaken, the objectivity

adopted and the reasonableness of the ‘

opinion, are unexeeptionable.

10. in S.S.PoLEsHI’S e2tse”soupr.a,’-atDix%ision”Beneh V

of this court held that a strict and
sophisticated rules it the Indian
Evidence Aot,3~’\x}’&?»1i”i*d riot it observed
that there provided it
had The question,
whetherthere or no evidence, not in

the ssense ofdthedtedchnioeil rules governing regular Court

‘proeeedifigsbut in a fair commonsense way as men of

A Worldly wisdom wiil accept.

‘1_1A.’:. In SATHYANARAYANA’S ease supra, 21 Division

heid that the passengers’ statements containing

” “*’:oo4 AER sew 47:: §=§;e%

the signature of the Werkrnan which would

that the Conductor had collected the fare..e_{nd 9

account for it with an intentionftow fni3e;ppro.;fi£ate'”the”1

same. Further it was obserVee1V._that the;

eoileeting fare from passenge.:é”~.and “11ot’a’eeo1intt:’1g”‘ for t’

the same to the credit of the VAC3otfporation,’ hehonlti not be
permitted to Continue the the Corporation.

12. In was held that a
conductor holdefa ;of”tr1j}st’ where honesty and
integrity ” reqnirements of functioning and

that sue’i1.Vn3atte1f_é dealt with iron hands and

not lenientlyg ‘The__A’peX…{3ourt in that case upheld the

_ter1nii«1atjfon_ of eemicee of 3 bus conductor for carrying

tieket1es$V’pe;seengers in the SRTC bus, though the loss

wag as, 16:5,/5’-5 was inconsequential.

x Z In SOHAN LAL’S ease supra, the Supreme

” . C~onrt”ebeerves that once the miseonduot of non–issne of

tieiiets to passengers is proved, it cannot be said that

hex

gt:

$7

the punishment of eiiemissai was disproportionate, the’

misconduct was (me of dishonesty. V b I ” ” = I

14. In SHYAM LAIXS ease s1:Vibra;’Ihe”Ape2x:._(;Qe:£’helfl

that a statement made by a passenger haVihg_baid”

to the eenduetor is not in the fiafinfe Sf h’eafsae3}_=ex?i1riehVee.

15. In the instant case, the passengers’ statement ~

EX.1\/[22 having been there being no
rebuttal evidence of the to establish
his defense sitebbpedibdue to mechanical
breakdowni. boarded the bus at
not made out a case for
interfefehee 0if~’domestiC enquiry as Well as the

awaxfdef the”L_.é1b01i’r writ petition being without merit,

‘ V’ _ is éeeeordiirxgly rejeei:e:i;V

Sé/-

EUDGE