In Brief
Basudev Dutta, a para-medical worker who migrated to India from East Pakistan in 1969 and served for 26 years, was terminated in 2011 based on an undisclosed police verification report deeming him unsuitable, submitted 25 years after his appointment. The Court held the termination unlawful because: (1) no specific reasons were provided; (2) the police report was never furnished to him; (3) he received no personal hearing opportunity; and (4) the inordinate delay in verifying his credentials impaired the report's reliability. The Court restored his service and ordered payment of all unpaid benefits including pension and gratuity, emphasizing that natural justice requires reasoned decisions, disclosure of evidence, and personal hearing in service terminations.
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