{"id":122048,"date":"2008-01-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-01-24T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008"},"modified":"2017-02-18T05:38:57","modified_gmt":"2017-02-18T00:08:57","slug":"a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008","title":{"rendered":"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Kerala High Court<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008<\/div>\n<pre>       \n\n  \n\n  \n\n \n \n  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM\n\nWP(C) No. 35546 of 2005(F)\n\n\n1. A. FRANCIS, AGED 55 YEARS,\n                      ...  Petitioner\n\n                        Vs\n\n\n\n1. KERALA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION\n                       ...       Respondent\n\n2. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (VIGILANCE),\n\n                For Petitioner  :SRI.A.X.VARGHESE\n\n                For Respondent  :SRI.SAJEEVKUMAR K.GOPAL, SC, KSRTC\n\nThe Hon'ble MR. Justice K.BALAKRISHNAN NAIR\n\n Dated :25\/01\/2008\n\n O R D E R\n                  K.BALAKRISHNAN NAIR, J.\n              ----------------------------------------\n                   W.P.(C)NO.35546\/2005\n              ----------------------------------------\n           Dated this the 25th day of January, 2008\n\n                           JUDGMENT\n<\/pre>\n<p>     The petitioner was a Conductor of the KSRTC. He was<\/p>\n<p>suspended from service by Ext.P1 order dated 25.4.2002 on the<\/p>\n<p>allegation of misappropriation of funds of the KSRTC by issuing<\/p>\n<p>dead tickets etc. He was served with Ext.P2 charge sheet dated<\/p>\n<p>6.6.2002. He submitted reply to the said charge sheet denying<\/p>\n<p>the allegations against him. The disciplinary authority was<\/p>\n<p>dissatisfied with the reply. So, an enquiry was held into the<\/p>\n<p>misconduct of the petitioner. Based on the findings in the<\/p>\n<p>enquiry, the disciplinary authority imposed a punishment of<\/p>\n<p>removal from service by Order dated 29.11.2002.        Petitioner<\/p>\n<p>appealed against that order. First respondent appellant authority<\/p>\n<p>affirmed the said punishment. He moved the KSRTC Appellate<\/p>\n<p>Tribunal by filing a revision. The said revision was allowed by<\/p>\n<p>Ext.P3 order dated 10.10.2003, setting aside the punishment.<\/p>\n<p>The second respondent disciplinary authority was directed to<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">W.P.(C)35546\/2005          2<\/span><\/p>\n<p>reopen the enquiry and to allow him to cross examine one of the<\/p>\n<p>witnesses of the management and also to allow him to adduce<\/p>\n<p>defence evidence and to produce defence documents. Pursuant to<\/p>\n<p>the said order of the Appellate Tribunal, the enquiry was again<\/p>\n<p>completed and the punishment of compulsory retirement from<\/p>\n<p>service was imposed on him on 22.5.2004 by the disciplinary<\/p>\n<p>authority. Before the petitioner could prefer an appeal against the<\/p>\n<p>said order, the appellate authority initiated proceedings to review<\/p>\n<p>that order. The petitioner submits that when the said suo motu<\/p>\n<p>proceedings were pending, the second respondent modified the<\/p>\n<p>punishment of compulsory retirement from service as dismissal<\/p>\n<p>from service. On 2.8.2004, the petitioner filed a representation<\/p>\n<p>against the said punishment before the first respondent and<\/p>\n<p>thereafter approached this Court. This Court, by Ext.P4 judgment<\/p>\n<p>dated 11.10.2004, set aside the punishment order and directed<\/p>\n<p>the appellate authority to consider the matter. The first<\/p>\n<p>respondent, pursuant to the said judgment of this Court, issued<\/p>\n<p>Ext.P5 order dated 4.12.2004 imposing a punishment of<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">W.P.(C)35546\/2005           3<\/span><\/p>\n<p>compulsory retirement from service on the petitioner.          The<\/p>\n<p>petitioner challenged Ext.P5 order before the KSRTC Appellate<\/p>\n<p>Tribunal. The Tribunal by Ext.P6 order dated 7.5.2005 set aside<\/p>\n<p>Ext.P5 order and remanded the case to the second respondent<\/p>\n<p>disciplinary authority with certain directions. In the meantime the<\/p>\n<p>petitioner attained the age of superannuation on 31.3.2005.<\/p>\n<p>Pursuant to Ext.P5, the disciplinary authority issued Ext.P7 show<\/p>\n<p>cause notice along with Ext.P8 enquiry report proposing to<\/p>\n<p>impose the penalty of removal from service. He submitted Ext.P9<\/p>\n<p>explanation. Considering the said explanation, the second<\/p>\n<p>respondent disciplinary authority again passed Ext.P10 order<\/p>\n<p>imposing the punishment of removal from service. This writ<\/p>\n<p>petition is filed challenging Ext.P10 mainly on the ground that no<\/p>\n<p>punishment could have been imposed on him invoking the<\/p>\n<p>disciplinary jurisdiction of the second respondent after his<\/p>\n<p>superannuation on 31.3.2005. The respondents have filed a<\/p>\n<p>detailed counter affidavit. They are supporting the impugned<\/p>\n<p>order.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">W.P.(C)35546\/2005          4<\/span><\/p>\n<p>     2. Heard the learned counsel on both sides. The learned<\/p>\n<p>counsel for the petitioner relied on the Full Bench decision of this<\/p>\n<p>Court in Xavier v KSEB (1979 KLT 80). He also relied on the<\/p>\n<p>decision of this Court in Raghavan Pillai v Travancore<\/p>\n<p>Devaswom Board (1980 KLT 782). Those decisions laid down<\/p>\n<p>the principle that once superannuation takes place, there is no<\/p>\n<p>employee-employer relationship and         the employer has no<\/p>\n<p>disciplinary jurisdiction over the delinquent and no punishment<\/p>\n<p>can be imposed.\n<\/p>\n<p>        3. The rules governing the disciplinary action of the<\/p>\n<p>employees of the KSRTC are Kerala Civil Services (Classification,<\/p>\n<p>Control and Appeals) Rules 1960.       As per the said rules, once<\/p>\n<p>the employee retires, no punishment under Rule-15 of the rules<\/p>\n<p>could be imposed on a delinquent employee. But, of course, the<\/p>\n<p>KSRTC can exercise its powers to withhold or withdraw his<\/p>\n<p>pension or a part of it, whether permanently or for a short period<\/p>\n<p>invoking powers under Rule-3 of          Part III KSR. The said<\/p>\n<p>provisions are also adopted by the KSRTC. This position is<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">W.P.(C)35546\/2005          5<\/span><\/p>\n<p>supported by various decisions of this Court including the one in<\/p>\n<p>Jayarajan v State of Kerala (2001(3) KLT 929). But, the<\/p>\n<p>learned counsel for the KSRTC submitted that the petitioner was<\/p>\n<p>responsible    for  the  delay   in  concluding  the    disciplinary<\/p>\n<p>proceedings. He also canvasses the position that once the<\/p>\n<p>punishment is set aside and a fresh punishment is imposed, the<\/p>\n<p>same will relate to the original date of punishment. I think it is<\/p>\n<p>difficult to accept the contentions of the learned counsel for the<\/p>\n<p>KSRTC. Even if the petitioner is responsible for the delay in<\/p>\n<p>concluding the disciplinary proceedings, the same will not enable<\/p>\n<p>the KSRTC to impose any punishment on him under Rule-15 of<\/p>\n<p>the Classification, Control and Appeal Rules, after his retirement.<\/p>\n<p>Further, once the punishment of dismissal or removal from<\/p>\n<p>service is set aside, an employee in service can be dismissed or<\/p>\n<p>removed     from   service  only   prospectively. Therefore,    the<\/p>\n<p>contentions of the learned counsel for the KSRTC cannot be<\/p>\n<p>accepted.\n<\/p>\n<p>      4. In the result, the impugned order Ext.P10 is quashed.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">W.P.(C)35546\/2005           6<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This will not affect the powers, if any, of the KSRTC to take action<\/p>\n<p>against the petitioner under Rule-3 of Part III KSR. The KSRTC<\/p>\n<p>shall decide whether it can and whether it should proceed against<\/p>\n<p>the petitioner as per Rule-3 of Part III KSR, within two months<\/p>\n<p>from the date of production of a copy of this judgment; otherwise<\/p>\n<p>the terminal benefits due to him shall be released to him, as per<\/p>\n<p>the priority list of pensioners.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>                             K.BALAKRISHNAN NAIR, JUDGE<\/p>\n<p>css\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kerala High Court A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM WP(C) No. 35546 of 2005(F) 1. A. FRANCIS, AGED 55 YEARS, &#8230; Petitioner Vs 1. KERALA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION &#8230; Respondent 2. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (VIGILANCE), For Petitioner :SRI.A.X.VARGHESE For Respondent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-court","category-kerala-high-court"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport ... on 25 January, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport ... on 25 January, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-01-24T18:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-02-18T00:08:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Legal India Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@legaliadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Legal_india\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Legal India Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Legal India Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea\"},\"headline\":\"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-01-24T18:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-02-18T00:08:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\"},\"wordCount\":919,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"High Court\",\"Kerala High Court\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\",\"name\":\"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport ... on 25 January, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-01-24T18:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-02-18T00:08:57+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\",\"name\":\"Free Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\",\"description\":\"Search and read the latest judgements, orders, and rulings from the Supreme Court of India and all High Courts. A comprehensive database for lawyers, advocates, and law students.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Free judgements of Supreme Court & High Court of India | Legal India\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\",\"alternateName\":\"Legal India\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/legal-india-icon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/legal-india-icon.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LegalindiaCom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Legal_india\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea\",\"name\":\"Legal India Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Legal India Admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/legaliadmin\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/author\\\/legal-india-admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport ... on 25 January, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport ... on 25 January, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","og_url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008","og_site_name":"Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/","article_published_time":"2008-01-24T18:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-02-18T00:08:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Legal India Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@legaliadmin","twitter_site":"@Legal_india","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Legal India Admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008"},"author":{"name":"Legal India Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/person\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea"},"headline":"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008","datePublished":"2008-01-24T18:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-02-18T00:08:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008"},"wordCount":919,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization"},"articleSection":["High Court","Kerala High Court"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008","name":"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport ... on 25 January, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-01-24T18:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-02-18T00:08:57+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/a-francis-vs-kerala-state-road-transport-on-25-january-2008#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A. Francis vs Kerala State Road Transport &#8230; on 25 January, 2008"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/","name":"Free Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India","description":"Search and read the latest judgements, orders, and rulings from the Supreme Court of India and all High Courts. A comprehensive database for lawyers, advocates, and law students.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Free judgements of Supreme Court & High Court of India | Legal India","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization","name":"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India","alternateName":"Legal India","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Legal_india"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/person\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea","name":"Legal India Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Legal India Admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com","https:\/\/x.com\/legaliadmin"],"url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/author\/legal-india-admin"}]}},"modified_by":null,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122048\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}