HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
AFR
Court No.37
Civil Misc. Writ Petition No.43421 of 2015
State of U.P. and others
Vs.
Subh Karan Singh Gautam and another
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Hon'ble Tarun Agarwala,J.
Hon'ble Prabhat Chandra Tripathi,J.
(Per: Tarun Agarwala,J.)
1. Against the order of the Tribunal dated 28.1.2015 quashing the adverse entry for the years 1991, 1986-87 and 1987-88 the State of U.P. has filed the present writ petition.
2. The facts leading to the filing of the writ petition is, that the respondent No.1 was a Senior Cane Development Inspector and was awarded an adverse entry on 10.1.1994 for the year 1991. Similarly, by an order dated 17.5.1995, adverse entries for 1986-87 and 1987-88 were awarded pursuant to an action taken in disciplinary proceedings. The respondent preferred a representation against the adverse entries, which was rejected by an order dated 6.7.1996. The said respondent, being aggrieved, filed a claim application for the quashing of the orders dated 10.1.1994, 17.5.1996 and 6.7.1996. The Tribunal by an order dated 28.1.2015 allowed the claim application on the short ground that the adverse entries were not communicated to the respondent No.1 and reference was not decided within the stipulated period as provided under Rules 4 and 5 of the U.P. Government Servants (Disposal of Representation against Adverse Annual Confidential Reports and Allied Matters), Rules, 1995 (hereinafter referred to as the "Rules") and, accordingly, the Tribunal quashed the adverse entries with a further direction to the Department that the adverse entries would not be considered for promotion, crossing the Efficiency Bar and other service matters. The State Government, being aggrieved by the said decision, has filed the present writ petition.
3. Rules 4 and 5 of the Rules of 1995 are extracted hereunder:
"4. Communication of adverse report and procedure for disposal of representation:--(1) Where a report in respect of A Government Servant is adverse or critical, wholly or in part, hereinafter referred to as adverse report, the whole of the report shall be communicated in writing to the Government Servant concerned by the accepting authority or by an officer not below the rank of reporting authority nominated in this behalf by the accepting authority, within a period of 45 days from the date of recording the report and a certificate to this effect shall be recorded in the report.
(2) A Government Servant may, within a period of 45 days from the date of communication of adverse report under sub-rule (1), represent in writing directly and also through proper channel to the authority one rank above the accepting authority, hereinafter referred to as the competent authority, and if there is no competent authority, to the accepting authority itself, against the adverse report so communicated;
Provided that if the competent authority or the accepting authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the Government Servant concerned had sufficient cause for not submitting the representation within the said period, he may allow a further period of 45 days for submission of such representation.
(3) The competent authority or accepting authority as the case may be, shall, within a period not exceeding one week from the date of receipt of the representation under sub-rule (2), transmit the representation to the appropriate authority, who has recorded the adverse report, for his comments, who shall, within a period not exceeding 45 days from the date of receipt of the representation, furnish his comments to the competent authority or the accepting authority, as the case may be;
Provided that no such comments shall be required if the appropriate authority has ceased to be in, or has retired from, the service or is under suspension before sending his comments.
(4) The competent authority or the accepting authority, as the case may be, shall, within a period of 120 days from the date of expiry of 45 days specified in sub-rule (3), consider the representation along with the comments of the appropriate authority, and if no comments have been received without waiting for the comments, and pass speaking orders-
(a) rejecting the representation; or
(b) expunging the adverse report wholly or partly as he considers proper.
(5) Where the competent authority due to any administrative reasons, is unable to dispose of the representation within the period specified in sub-rule(4), he shall report in this regard to his higher authority, who shall pass such orders as he considers proper for ensuring disposal of the representation within the specified period.
(6) An order passed under sub-rule (4) shall be communicated in writing to the Government Servant concerned.
(7) Where an order expunging the adverse report is passed under sub-rule (4), the competent authority or the accepting authority, as the case may be, shall omit the report so expunged.
(8) The order passed under sub-rule (4) shall be final.
(9) Where any matter for-
(i) communication of an adverse report;
(ii) representation against an adverse report;
(iii) transmission of representation to the appropriate authority for his comments.
(iv) comments of the appropriate authority; or
(v) disposal of representation against an adverse report;
is pending on the date of the commencement of these rules, such matters shall be dealt with and disposed of within the period prescribed therefor under this rule.
Explanation:- In computing the period prescribed under this rule for any matters specified in this sub-rule, the period already expired on the date of the commencement of these rules shall not be taken into account.
5. Report not to be treated adverse- Except as provided in Rule 56 of the Uttar Pradesh Fundamental Rules contained in Financial Handbook Volume-II, Parts II to IV, where an adverse report is not communicated or a representation against an adverse report has not been disposed of in accordance with Rule 4, such report shall not be treated adverse for the purposes of promotion, crossing of Efficiency Bar and other service matters of the Government Servant concerned.
4. Rule Rule 4(1) of the Rules provides that an adverse entry is required to be communicated to the incumbent within 45 days. Rule 4(2) of the Rules provides that a Government Servant can make a representation within 45 days against the adverse entry. Rule 4(4) of the Rules provides that the representation has to be decided within 120 days, either rejecting the representation or by expunging the adverse report.
5. Rule 5 provides, that if the adverse entry is not communicated within the stipulated period or a representation is not decided within the stipulated period, then such report shall not be treated as adverse for the purposes of promotion, crossing of Efficiency Bar and other service matters of the Government Servant concerned.
6. Relying upon Rule 5 of the Rules the Tribunal found that since the adverse entries were not communicated within the stipulated period nor the representation was decided within the stipulated period, the Tribunal held that the petitioner is entitled to the benefit of Rule 5 and, accordingly, quashed the adverse entries.
7. In our opinion, the order of the Tribunal is erroneous and has misread Rule 5 of the Rules. Rule 5 only provides that if an adverse entry is not communicated within the stipulated period or a representation against an adverse entry is not disposed of within the stipulated period then such adverse report will not come in the way for the purpose of promotion, crossing of the Efficiency Bar and other service matters. The reason is not far to see. If an entry is not communicated, the Government Servant cannot be penalized for non-consideration of his promotion and other service matters. Such non-communication will not make the adverse entry illegal or barred by time. All Rule 5 of the Rules provides that such adverse report will not be taken into consideration, if the Government Servant is being considered for promotion, crossing of Efficiency Bar, etc.
8. We are of the opinion, that once the adverse report is communicated, the same becomes operative and cannot be quashed on the ground that it was not communicated within the stipulated period. Similarly, if the representation against an adverse entry is not decided within the stipulated period, it does not mean that the representation has to be allowed and the adverse entry is required to be quashed.
9. In the light of the aforesaid, the impugned order of the Tribunal cannot be sustained and is quashed. We also find that the respondent has retired more than 10 years back. Consequently, no useful purpose would be served in remitting the matter to the Tribunal to decide the matter afresh.
10. The writ petition is, accordingly, allowed.
Dated :16.5.2016
AKJ
(Prabhat Chandra Tripathi,J) (Tarun Agarwala,J.)
