In Brief
A power corporation dismissed an employee (Junior Engineer) for demanding and accepting bribes. He was acquitted in a separate criminal case when prosecution witnesses turned hostile. The High Court set aside his dismissal, holding that acquittal barred departmental discipline. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that departmental proceedings and criminal trials are distinct proceedings governed by different standards of proof and evidence. Since the criminal court acquitted him due to lack of credible evidence (hostile witnesses), while ample evidence existed in the departmental inquiry, the dismissal order based on the latter was justified and required no interference.
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