High Court Upholds Conductor's Dismissal for Unticketed Passengers
The Allahabad High Court has upheld the dismissal of a bus conductor who transported 59 passengers without issuing tickets and failed to provide a reasonable explanation for his actions. A single-judge bench of Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery affirmed that carrying passengers without tickets constitutes serious misconduct, thereby rejecting the conductor's petition against his termination.
The High Court observed that in matters of disciplinary action, it functions not as an appellate court to re-evaluate evidence, but intervenes only when conclusions are entirely perverse, which was not the situation in this case. The court stated that the petitioner could not offer any valid reason for pre-filling pay-bills without first issuing tickets to the 59 passengers. Given the gravity of the misconduct and the absence of a satisfactory explanation, the court found no grounds to interfere with the impugned dismissal order under its limited writ jurisdiction.
The conductor's dismissal stemmed from an inspection of his bus traveling from Faizabad to Akbarpur, where the unticketed passengers and pre-filled pay-bills were discovered. Following a charge sheet, an inquiry, and multiple notices, he was ultimately terminated from service. Subsequent appeals to the regional manager and a re-inquiry, which partially proved the charges, also failed to overturn the dismissal, leading the conductor to approach the High Court. The court reiterated that such actions warrant severe punishment, including dismissal, and concluded that the proper procedure was followed, offering ample opportunity for the conductor to respond.
Source: CourtBeat News (Kannada)
