In Brief
A senior electricity official was dismissed from service after a departmental inquiry found him guilty of demanding and accepting bribes. Although he was later acquitted in criminal proceedings because prosecution witnesses turned hostile and provided no evidence, the Supreme Court upheld his dismissal. The Court held that acquittal in criminal proceedings does not prevent departmental discipline when different evidence was presented in the inquiry. Since departmental proceedings operate under a lower standard of proof than criminal trials, the dismissal based on compelling evidence presented to the inquiry officer was justified and needed no interference from the High Court.
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