In Brief
A bus driver employed by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation was dismissed after causing a fatal accident that killed four passengers due to rash and negligent driving. The Industrial Tribunal set aside the dismissal as disproportionate punishment, which the High Court upheld. The Supreme Court allowed the employer's appeal, holding that dismissal for gross negligence causing deaths was not shockingly disproportionate. The Court clarified that acquittal in criminal proceedings does not affect disciplinary action, as they operate under different standards of proof and objectives. The Industrial Tribunal wrongly invoked disproportionality provisions meant only for minor misconduct to grave conduct endangering lives.
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