Supreme Court of India
UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.versusSRI JANARDHAN DEBANATH AND ANR.
- Citation
- 2004 INSC 105
- Decided
- 13 February 2004
- Disposal
- Appeal(s) allowed
- Bench
- DORAISWAMY RAJU
Holding
A transfer of a government servant on account of inefficiency or misbehaviour is valid under Rule 37 and Fundamental Rule 15 and does not require a prior enquiry, and is not per se punitive unless it adversely impacts service conditions.
Summary
Four employees of the Postal Services Department were transferred from the Agartala Division to the Meghalaya Division on the ground of alleged misbehaviour with a senior lady officer. They challenged the transfer before the Central Administrative Tribunal, which did not interfere, and subsequently filed writ petitions in the Gauhati High Court. The High Court quashed the transfer, holding it violative of Rule 37 of the Posts and Telegraphs Manual and Fundamental Rule 15, and characterising it as a punitive measure affecting seniority and promotion. On appeal, the Supreme Court held that transfer of a government servant on account of inefficiency or misbehaviour is permissible under Rule 37 and FR 15, does not require a prior enquiry, and is not per se punitive unless it adversely affects service conditions. The Court emphasized that transfer is a condition of service and courts should not interfere unless the order is malafide or contrary to statutory provisions. Consequently, the High Court’s order was set aside and the transfer upheld.
Issues considered
- Whether a transfer of a government employee on the ground of alleged misbehaviour is permissible under Rule 37 of the Posts and Telegraphs Manual and Fundamental Rule 15.
- Whether such a transfer is a punitive measure affecting seniority and promotional prospects.
- Whether an enquiry is required before effecting a transfer on the basis of misbehaviour.
- Whether courts can interfere with a transfer order absent malafide intent or statutory violation.
Legislation cited
- Constitution of Indias. Article 226, s. Article 227
- Fundamental Ruless. Rule 14-B, s. Rule 15, s. Rule 22, s. Rule 49
Subjects
service lawtransfer of government employeesdisciplinary actionFundamental RulesPosts and Telegraphs Manualadministrative lawpunitive transfersenioritypromotionenquirypublic interest
Judgment
A UNION OF INDIA AND ORS. ~
v.
SRI JANARDHAN DEBANATH AND ANR.
FEBRUARY 13, 2004
B [DORAISWAMY RAJU AND ARIJIT PASAYAT, JJ.]
--
~
Service Law:
.;,;.,
Posts and Telegraphs Manual; Rule 37/Fundamental Rules; Rules 14B,
c 15and22:
Transfer of employees on ground of misbehaviour-Transfer order
affirmed by the Central 1dministrative Tribunal-Challenge !o---Allowing the
challenge, High Court held the transfer impermissible, violative of Fundamental
Rule I 5, amounts to penalty affecting seniority and promotional prospects-
D On appeal, held: No employee of Government/Public Sector Undertaking
appointed on a transfi?rable post has any legal right to be posted at one place/
place of his choice-Transfer is not only an incident but a condition ofservice, r
which is necessary .in public interest and efficiency in public administration
unless it is shown to be an outcome of malafide exercise or in violation of
E statutory provisions~To meet administrative exigencieSlquality ofpublic service
to enforce decency and decorum in public service, the authority/Department
concerned could exercise its discretion-However, transfer if ordered otherwise
than for misbehaviour/inefficiency/on written request, the protection of pay is \
ensured.
F Transfer Order-Interference with-Held: Courts/Tribunals could
interfere if it casts astigmalconstituie punishment and affect service conditions/
prospects-The Cpurt should not use the sameyardsticklnorms/standards to
all categories of cases.
Misbehaviour--Enquiry-Necessity of-Held: Not necessary, prima facie
G satisfaction of the authority is sufficient.
Respondent··employees of the Postal Services Department were
transferred from Agartala division to Meghalaya division on the ground (4
of alleged misbehaviour with a Director, a lady officer. Aggrieved, \\,
H 356
U.0.1. v. JANARDHAN DEBANATH 357
employees approached Central Administrative Tribunal. The Tribunal did A
not interfere with the transfer order. Employees challenged the decision
before the High Court. High Court held that the transfer was
impermissible in terms of Rule 37 and was in violation of Fundamental
Rule 15. Hence the present appeals by the Union of India.
It was contended for the appellant-Union of India that there was no B
violation of Rule 37 of Posts and Telegraphs Manual Rules or Fundamental
Rule 15; and that the transfer was not a punitive one but for enforcing
discipline, in public interest, in the exigencies of the administration.
On behalf of the respondent-!!mployees, it was submitted that before
effecting transfer, the alleged misbehaviour of the respondents ought. to C
have been enquired into; that in view of stipulation in the appointment
order, there was no scope for transferring the employees from one region
to another.
Allowing the appeals, the Court
D
HELD. 1.1. Rule 37 of Posts and Telegraphs Manual Rules shows
that officials of the Department are liable to be transferred to any part of
India unless it is expressly ordered otherwise for any particular class or
classes of officials. Transfers were not to be ordered except when advisable
in the interests of public service. Transfers can be made subject to E
conditions laid down in FR 15 and 22. (361-E]
1.2. No Government servant or employee of a public undertaking
has any legal right to be posted forever at any particular place or place
of his choice since transfer of a particular employee appointed to the class
or category of transferable posts from one place to another is not only an F
incident, but a condition of service, necessary too in public interest and
efficiency in the public administration. Unless an order of transfer is shown
to be an outcome of malafide exercise or stated to be in violation of
statutory provisions prohibiting any such transfer, the courts or the
tribunals normally cannot interfere with such orders as a matter of G
routine, as though they were the appellate authorities substituting their
own decision for that of the employer/management, as against such orders
passed in the interest of administrative exigencies of the service concerned.
[361-F-H; 362-A]
National Hydro-electric Power Corporation Ltd v. Shri Bhagwan and H
358 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2004] 2 S.C.R.
A Anr., (20011 8 sec 574, relied on.
1.3. In a case where transfer is on account of inefficiency or mis-
behavio.ur, the same can be made to a post carrying less pay than the pay
of the post on which he holds a lien. Similar is the position where a transfer
is made on a written request. Where the transfer is otherwise than for
B inefficiency or mis-behaviour or on a written request made by the
transferred employee, the protection of pay is ensured. The High Court
seems to have completely mis-construed the rule as if there cannot be any
transfer in terms of FR 15 on account of inefficiency or mis-behaviour.
The view is clearly contrary to the pronounced intention of FR 15.
C (362-F-GJ
1.4. The manner, nature and extent of exercise to be undertaken by
Courts/Tribunals in a case to adjudge whether the order of transfer casts
a stigma or constitutes one by way of punishment would also very much
depend upon the consequences flowing from the transfer order and as to
D whether it adversely affected any servi"ce conditions - status, service
prospects financially and same yardstick, norms or standards cannot be
appHed to all category ·of cases, transfers unless they involve any such
adverse impact or visits the persons concerned with any penal
consequences, are not required to be subjected to same type of scrutiny,
approach and assessment as in the case of dismissal, discharge, reversion
E or termination and utmost latitude should be left with the department
concerned to enforce discipline, decency and decorum i·n public service
which are indisputably ess~ntial to maint~in quality of public service and
meet untoward administrative exigencies to ensure smooth functioning of
the administration. (363-B-D]
F
Jagdish Mitter v. The Union of India, AIR (1964) SC 449, distinguished.
1.5. The question of holding an enquiry' to find· out whether there
was mis-behaviour or conduct unbecoming of an employee is unnecessary
and prima facie satisfaction of the authority concerned on the
G contemporary reports about the occurrence complained of is required and
if the requirement of holding an "elaborate enquiry is to be insisted upon
the very purpose of transferring an employee in public interest or \
exigencies of administration to enforce decorum and ensure probity would
get frustrated. The question whether respondents could be transferred to
a different division is a matter for the employer to consider depending
H upon the administrative necessities and the extent of solution for the
U.0.1. v. JANARDHAN DEBANATH [PASA YAT. J.] 359
JJroblems faced by the administration. It is not for this Court to direct A
one way or the other. The judgment of the High court is clearly
indefensible and is set aside. (363-F-H; 364-A)
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 1010- I 0 I I
of 2004.
B
From the Judgment and Order dated 22. I .2003 of the Gauhati High
Court at Assam in W.P.(C) (CAT) Nos. 3 and 4 of 2002.
Raju Ramachandran, Additional Solicitor General, Ashok K Srivastava,
Shreekant N. Terdol for the Appellant.
c
Rajinder Sachar, R. Sathish for the Respondent.
· The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
ARIJIT PASA YAT, J. Leave granted.
D
In these two appeals, the Union of India questions legality of the
judgment rendered by a Division Bench of the Guwahati High Court, Agartala
Bench, Agartala whereby two writ petitions filed by the respondents were
allowed and the common order of transfer dated 10.9.2002 in respect of four
employees was quashed so far as it relates to the respondents.
E
Background facts sans unnecessary details are as follows:
The respondents were working in the Postal Services Department. They
were transferred from Agartala Division to Meghalaya Division by order of
transfer dated 10.9.2002. Feeling aggrieved by the order, the respondents
(writ petitioners) along with two others mcved the Central Administrative F
Tribunal at Guwahati (in short the 'Tribunal'). The Tribunal after hearing the
parties directed the authorities to consider the representations made by the
two lady applicants who were co-applicants along with the respondents within
one month. So far as the present respondents are concerned, no interference
was made by the Tribunal with the order. Challenging the decision of the G
Tribunal, the writ petitions were filed. The grounds on which the writ petitiuns
were filed were (a) the transfer orders of the two respondents were in violation
of the provisions of Rule 37 of the Posts and Telegraphs Manual, Volume IV
(in short 'the Manual') read with D.G. Posts Letter No.20-12/90-SPBI dated
23.8.1990; (b) the transfer is in violation of Rule 15 of the Fundamental
Rules (in short 'FR 15') and (c) the inter-Divisional transfer would effect the H
360 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2004] 2 S.C.R.
A seniority and promotional prospects of the writ petitioners and (d) the transfer
order was passed as a measure of penalty.
-
.,
The Union of India took the stand that the transfer was done in public
interest and on ~ccount of exigencies of administration. It was pointed out
•v
that the respondents not only misbehaved with the Director (Postal Services),
B a senior lady officer, she was confined and dragged from one room to another
and this was done with a view. to force her to withdraw the charge-sheet
against the Deputy Post Master. She was abused in filthy language and was
physically m.tmhandled. This conduct was certainly unbecoming of an
employee al}d with a view to enforce discipline and to avoid recurrence of
c such unforpunate incident, they were transferred. There was no violation of
either Rule 37 of the Manual or FR 15. The High Court accepted the prayers
made in the writ petitions and held that transfer was impermissible in term's .
of Rule 37 and was in violation of FR 15. It was as a mea~ure of penalty and
the seniority and the promotional prospects were likely to be affected.
D In support of the appellants Mr. Raju Ramachandran, learned senior
counsel submitted that the approach of the High Court is clearly erroneous.
It erroneously held that there was violation of Rule 37 or FR !5. The ,y
interpretation put on the ambit of FR 15 is clearly wrong, as the proviso has
not been taken note of. As the transfer was not a punitive one but ,as a
measure of enforcing discipline, in public interest and in the exigencies of
E administration there was no scope for the High Court to entertain the writ
petitions and grant relief.
Per contra, Mr. Rajinder Sachar, learned senior counsel submitted that
I
in the transfer order itself it has been mentioned that the employees were
undesirable, as they had misbehaved. Before effecting transfer there ought to
F
have been an enquiry to find out whether there was any misbehaviour
committed by the respondents, or that they were undesirable as stated.
According to him, the High Court has correctly interpreted FR 15. With
reference to a letter dated 23 .8.1990, it was submitted that there was no scope
for transferring from any part of the country to another part as was stipulated
G in the appointment order. It was submitted that in terms of the letter, the
scope of transfer to any part of the country was obliterated. There can be no
grievance if the transfer was affected within the same circle, but making the }
transfer from one circle to another was impermissible.
As Rule 37 and FR 15 form the foundation of the claim of the
H respondents, it would be appropriate to quote.them. Rule 37 read as follows:
U.0.1. v. JANARDHAN DEBANATH [PASAYAT, J.] 361
"All officials .of the Department are liable to be transferred to any A
part of India unless it is expressly ordered otherwise for any particular
class or classes of officials. Transfers should not, however, be ordered
except when advisable in the interests of the public service. Postmen,
village postmen and Class IV servants should not, except for very
special reasons, be transferred from one district to another. All transfers B
must be subject to the conditions laid down in Fundamental Rules 15
and 22."
FR 15 reads as follows:
.... "(a) The President may transfer a Government servant from one
post to another provided that except- C
(I) on account of inefficiency or misbehaviour, or
(2) on his written request,
a Government servant shall not be transferred to, or except in a case D
covered by Rule 49, appointed to officiate in a post carrying less pay
than the pay of the post on which he holds a lien."
A bare reading of Rule 37 shows that officials of the Department are
liable to be transferred to any part of India unless it is expressly ordered
otherwise for any particular class or classes of officials. Transfers were not E
to be ordered except when advisable in the interest of public service. The
transfers can be made subject to conditions laid down in FR 15 and 22. The
appellant has indicated as to why and under what circumstances the transfers
were thought proper in the interest of public service. The High Court while
exercising jurisdiction under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constirution of F
India, 1950 (in short the 'Constitution') had gone into the question as to
whether the transfer was in the interest of public service. That would essentially
require factual adjudication and invariably depend upon peculiar facts and
circumstances of the case concerned. No government servant or employee of
a public undertaking has any legal right to be pQsted forever at any ·one
particular place or place of his choice since transfer of a particular employee C
appointed to the class or category of transferable posts from one place to
other is not only an incident, but a condition of service, necessary too in
public interest and efficiency in the public administration. Unless an order of
transfer is shown to be an outcome of ma/a fide exercise or stated to be in
violation of statutory provisions prohibiting any such transfer, the courts or l-
362 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2004] 2 S.C.R.
A the tribunals normally cannot interfere with such orders as a matter of routine,
as though they were the appellate authorities substituting their own decision
for that of the employer/management, as against such orders passed in the
interest of administrative exigencies of the service concerned. This position
was highlighted by this Court in National Hydro-electric Power Corporation
B Ltd v. Shri Bhagwan and Anr., [2001] 8 SCC 574.
The Fundamental Rules primarily deal with the financial implications
and consequences relating to services of government servants whose pay is
debited to Civil Estimates and to any other class of Governments servants too
which the President may, by general or special order, declare them to be
C applicable. Rule 15 has to be read along with Rule 14-B. FR 15 has been
quoted above and, therefore, quotation of FR 14-8 would suffice. The same
reads as follows:
"FR 14-B: Subject to the provisions of Rule 15, the President
may transfer to another post in the same cadre, the lien of a
D Government servant who is not performing the duties of the post to
which the lien relates".
A bare reading of FR-15 makes it clear that except in cases where the
transfer is (a) on account of inefficiency or mis-behaviour or (b) on a written
request the government servant cannot be transferred or except in a case
E covered by Rule 49 appointed to officiate in a post carrying less pay than the
pay of the post on which he holds a lien. The clear intention of the prescription
is that except the two categories indicated above, in all other cases the pay
to be paid on transfer shall not be less than of the post on which he holds a
lien. Exception is made in case of a transfer where it is on account of
inefficiency or mis-behaviour. In a case where transfer is on account of
F inefficiency or mis-behaviour, the same can be made to a post carrying less
pay than the pay of the post on which he holds a lien. Similar is the position
where a transfer is made on a written request. Where the transfer is otherwise
than for inefficiency or mis-behaviour or on a written request made by the
transferred employee, the protection of pay is ensured. The High Court seems
G to have completely mis-construed the rule as if there cannot be any transfer
in terms of FR 15 on account of inefficiency or mis-behaviour. The view is
clearly contrary to the pronounced intention of FR 15.
That brings us to the other question as to whether the use of the
expression 'undesirable' warranted an enquiry before the transfer. Strong
H reliance was placed by learned counsel for the respondents on a decision of
- U.0.1. v. JANARDHAN DEBANATH [PASA YAT, J.]
this Court in Jagdish Mitter v. The Union of India, AIR (1964) SC 449, para
21, p.456) to contend that whenever there is a use of the word 'undesirable'
363
A
it casts a stigma and it cannot be done without holding a regular enquiry. The
submission is clearly without substance. The said case relates to use of the
expression 'undesirable' in an order affecting the continuance in service by
way of discharge. The decision has therefore no application to the facts of the B
present case. The manner, nature and extent of exercise to be undertaken by
Courts/Tribunals in a case to adjudge whether it casts a stigma or constitutes
one by way of punishment would also very much depend upori the
consequences flowiug from the Nder and as to whether it adversely affected
any service conditions - status, service prospects financially and same yardstick,
norms or standards cannot be applied to all category of cases. Transfers C
unless they involve any such adverse impact or visits the persons concerned
with any penal consequences, are not required to be subjected to same type
of scrutiny, approach and assessment as in the case of dismissal, discharge,
reversion or termination and utmost latitude should be left with the department
concerned to enforce discipline, decency and decorum in public service which
are indisputably essential to maintain quality of public service and meet D
untoward administrative exigencies to ensure smooth functioning of the
administration.
Additionally, it was pointed out by learned counsel for the Union of
India that as indicated in the special leave petition itself there was no question E
of any loss of seniority or promotional prospects. These are the aspects which
can be gone into in an appropriate proceeding, if at all there is any adverse
order in the matter of seniority or promotion. It was also submitted that
transfer was within the same circle i.e. the North Eastern Circle and, therefore,
the question of any seniority getting affected by the transfer prima facie does
not arise. F
The allegations made against the respondents are of serious nature, and
the conduct attributed is certainly unbecoming. Whether there was any mis-
behaviour is a question which can be gone into in a departmental proceeding.
For the purposes of effecting a transfer, the question of holding an enquiry
.to find out whether there was mis-behaviour or conduct unbecoming of an G
employee is unnecessary and what is needed is the prima facie satisfaction
of the authority concerned on the contemporary reports about the occurrence
complained of and if the requirement, as submitted by learned-counsel for the
respondents, of holding an elaborate enquiry is to be insisted upon the very
purpose of transferring an employee in public interest or exigencies of H
-~
364 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2004) 2 S.C.R.
A administration to enforce decorum and ensure probity would get frustrated.
The question whether respondents could be transferred to a different division
is a matter for the employer to consider depending upon the administrative
necessities and the extent of solution for the problems faced by the
administration. It is not for this Court to direct one way or the other. The
judgment of the High Court is clearly indefensible and is set aside. The writ
B petitions filed before the High Court deserve to be dismissed which we direct.
The appeals are allowed with no order as to costs.
S.K.S. Appeals allowed.
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