UNION OF INDIA
_v._
RAM KISH.AN
757
A
_May_ 7, 1971
. IS. M. SiKiu, C. J., G. K. MrrrER, C. A. \I' AIDIALINGAM, P. J AGAN- 8 .
MOHAN REDDY AND I. D. DUA, JJ.)
_l'tMtlab_ _Police Rules,_ _r._ _16.3S-Police Officer_ _in_ _plain_ _c/athes cammitt-_
_isg_ _ot/£nct!_ _while raiding a_ p/~Failure _ta give in/armation ta District_
MQ/IUlral~Yalidity _of departmental inquiry and dismissal af.police officer._
- . The respondent, a. police constable, raided a place, and in the course
_el._ lbe raid caused a knife injury to one of th• persons ill the place. Ho
# -t to the aceno of occurrence without his uniform. A caso under s. 324,
LP.C., wu registered agaiDst him. A departmental inquiry was also ordr.red ap.inst him and he was dismissed from service. He filed a sui~ challent!ilol the order of dismissal on tho ground, _inter_ _alia,_ that the procedure
preocribed by the r. 16. 38 of the Punjab Police Rules was not followed.
The High Court, in appeal, decreed the suit.
In appeal to this Court,
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HELD: The plaintiff was purporting to exercise the authority of a
police officer even if he was in plain clothes. The acts alleged against him
constituted a criminal offence in connection with his official relation with
the public and their description in the charge in the departmental proceed- E
ings as negligence was an atten1pt to avoid the effect of r. 16.38. Under
sul>-r .. (1) of the rule immediate information regarding the commission of
the offence sbo~ld have been given to the District Magistrate.
In the present case there was no evidence of any such infortnation
being given to the District Magistrate, nor was there evidence that tho
District Magistrate decided that the investigation shall be conducted by P
die police officers who conducted it. Since there was a breach of sub-r.
(I) of the rule the order of dismissal was illegal. (759B-H, 760H]
_Delhi Administration_ v. _Chanan_ _Shah,_ [1969] 3 S.C.R. 653 followed.
OVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 750 of
1966.
Appeal by special leave from judgment and order dated
March 4, 1964 of the Punjab High Court, Circuit Bench, Delhi
io. C.R.S.A. No. 256-D of 1962.
_Jagadish Swarup, Solicitor-General,_ and _R._ _N. Sachthcy,_ for
the appellant
_N._ _D._ _Bali_ and _D._ _D._ _Shm·ma._ for the respondent.
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WPREMB COURT REPORTS [1971] SUPP. s.c.R.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Sikri, C.J.-The respondent, Ram Kishan, Head Constable,
(hereinafter referred to as the Plantiff) failed a suit challenging the order of dismissal passed against him on 3rd September,
1957 by Shri D. C. Sharma, Superintendent. of Police (CentraD.
The main attack was twofold. First it was alleged that Shri
D. C. Sharma was not a District Superintendent of Police and,
therefore not entitled to dismiss the plaintiff.. Secondly it was
alleged that as the procedure. prescribed by Rule 16.38 of the
Punjab Police Rules was not followed, the departmental action
taken against the plaintiff was illegal.
The version of the plaintiff as to what happened on 22nd
June, 1957 was this. On 22nd June, 1957 he was on duty "for
prevention of crime and while on his round he received information that some gamblers were gambling in a public place on
Rouse Avenue. Consequently, he organised a raiding party.
The gamblers, who were Harijans, out-numbered the police party
and inflicted some injuries on the members of the party. Fearing
that they would be hauled up, they approached !II Harijan member
of the Corporation as well as a Harijan Member of the Parliament,
who telephoned to the plaintiff's officers, at the police station,
before the plaintiff reached the police station from the scene of
affray in order to lodge his report.
The version of the Government was that the plantiff was
deputed for the checking of cycle theft duty near Employment
Exchange, Darya Gunj and he had not ·been posted at Rouse
Avenue, Harding Bridge. It was denied that the plaintiff
received any information regarding gambling at a public place
in Rouse Avenue. On the contrary it was alleged on behalf of
the Government that the plaintiff alongwith other constables
wanted to implicate Mohan Lal, Nathu etc., and a scuffle took
place between the plaintiff and his other associates on the one
hand and Mohan Lal and others on the other hand.
The Sub-Judge dismissed the suit.
The plaiintiff filed an appeal before the Additional District
Judge, who accepted the appeal and granted the plaintiff a decree
for a declaration that the order dated 3rd September, 1957 dismissing him from service is illegal and _ultra vires._ He also passed
a decree for Rs. 1926/10/· on account of pay and allowances.
The Government filed an appeal in the High Court. The
case came up before Mahajan J., who observed that there was a
breach of Rule 16.38 of the Punjab Police Rules but as it was
UNION _v._ RAM Kll!HAN _(Sikri,_ C.J.) 759
contended that the Police Rule 16.38 was directory and not
mand&tory, he referred the case to a Division Bench.
Mchar Singh J. speaking for the Bench held that "in view
of _Babu Ram Upadhya's_ (') case this rule must be held to be
mandatory, though even otherwise, on the language of the rule
itself I am of the opinion that it is a rule moodatory in nature".
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He further observed that "In this case it is an admitted fact that
there was no reference of the information to the District Magistrate
and he had no opportunity to take a decision first under subrule (!) and then under sub-rule(2)." He agreed with the first
appellate court that the chairge in the statement of allegations
## was an information indicating the commission by the respondent of a criminal offence in connection with his official relation with c
the pUblic, as not only B31tto was injured in the incident but also
some Foot Constables.
It was contended before us that the first part of the rule
16.38 does not apply because the plaintiff went to the scene of
occurrence without any uniform and that the question of com
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mission of a criminaJ offence by a police officer in connection
- with his official relations with the public can only arise if he
commits the offence when he is in a uniform. It was further
urged that before an offence can be said to have been committed
by 31 police officer it must be not in exercise of purported authority but real authority. We are unable to see any force in these
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contentions. On the facts of this case it is quite clear that the
plantiff was purporting to exercise authority of a police officer
31nd even if he was in plain clothes it does not mean that he was
not purporting to act as 31 police officer.
1n our view, in this case there was a breach of sub-rule (I)
of Rule 16.38. D.W. 2, Raghu Nath, admitted that on 22nd
June 1957 a case under s. 324 I. P. C. wais registered at the
instance of Harijans and that investigation was made by A.l.C.
Hori Lal and then S. I. Daulat Ram. The allegations against
Ram Kishan and others were that they had inflicted a knil:e
injury on Mst. Batto, a Harijan womwn and medical report
showed that the injury was with a blunt weapon though the injury
was simple. He further said that S. P. ordered him to start a
departmental inquiry against the plaintiff. There is no evidence
that any immediate information was given to the District Magistrate of the complaint Nceived against the plaintiff. Neither is
there any evidence that the District Magistrate decided that the
investigation shall be conducted by the police officers, who conducted it.
(1) A.l.R. 1961 S.C. 751
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1971] SUPP. s.c.R.
The learned counsel for the Government further contended
th~t the charge agaiast the .Plantiff in the departmental proceedmgs was a• charge of negbgence and not a charge in connection with the commission of a criminal offence in c<innection
with his official relations with public. The charge reads as under :
"That you on 22-6-57 at 8.30 a.m. were sent for
checking cycle thieves _vlde_ D. D. No. 9 dated 22-6-57
P. S. Faiz Bazar, but left your place of duty and alongwith F. C. Thakur Dayal No. 6105 went to Asaf Ali
Road from where you took F. Cs. Lekh Raj No. 6512
and Bhagat Ram No. 1952.
You accomp81!1ied by the three F. Cs. mentioned
above went to the Harijan Basti in the area of Rouse
Avenue in search of some 'Sattabaz'.
That you or any of your F. Cs. were not in Police
Uniform.
That you ra.ided some Harijans who were sitting
on the cots under a tree without giving your identity
under the pretext of gambling.
That altercation took place between your two F. Cs.
Thakur Dayal No. 6105 and Bhagat Rain No. 1952 a.nd
the Harijans, where in these two F. Cs. and Mst. Batto
mother of Mohan Lal were injured.
That no independent witness or informer were produced by you before the investigation officer to show
whether or not your raid was of bona fide nature.
I, therefore, charge you for gross negligence of duty."
But according to the final sentence in the summary of allegations this action amounted to gross negli~nce of duty and
misconduct.
It seems to us that it wai; a colourable attempt to a void the
effect of Police Rule 16.38 sub-rule(!). It is a clear case of criminal offence and it was a mere device to call it gross negligence.
Following the case _Delhi Administration_ v. _Chanan_ Shah(')
we hold tha.t as in this case there has been no compliance
whatsoever of Rule 16.38, sub-rule(l), the order of dismissal is
illegal. In the result the appeal fails and is dismissed with costs.
H V.P.S. _Appeal dismissed._
O) [I 969J 3 s.c.R. 653.
