Aggrieved by termination of services without inquiry, dismissed Punjab cop Raj Jit Singh moves HC

Chandigarh, June 1

Dismissed Punjab police officer Raj Jit Singh on Thursday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court aggrieved by departmental action of terminating his services without holding an inquiry.

In his petition filed through senior counsel Gurminder Singh with advocates R.P.S. Bara, JS Gill and SPS Sandhu, Raj Jit Singh contended that the order was passed by invoking the provisions of Article 311 (2) of the Constitution, read with Rule 13 (II) of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, without supplying a complete copy of the orders. It included an order dated April 17, in which the reasons for dispensing with the inquiry were purportedly recorded.

“A separate order dated April 17, vide which the decision to dispense with the services of the petitioner without holding a regular inquiry, has not been communicated to him till date even after repeated requests by his family and also by his counsel by way of a letter dated May 9.”

Gurminder Singh added the petitioner holding a civil post was entitled to be furnished a copy of the complete orders so as to seek his remedy of judicial review as permitted under the law.

An affidavit placed before the high court in the Punjab drugs menace case had earlier stated that the Department of Home Affairs and Justice had asked the Director-General of Police office to take action.

He, in turn, had asked Special Director-General of Police, Special Task Force, to nominate PPS officer Raj Jit Singh as an accused for criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B in FIR No 1 dated June 12, 2017, under the NDPS Act and provisions of the IPC at Special Task Force police station, Mohali, registered against inspector Inderjit Singh. The affidavit added Raj Jit Singh was dismissed from service vide order dated April 17 by the State government.