In Brief
The respondent was appointed as an ad-hoc clerk in the Punjab Registrar of Cooperative Societies after concealing his earlier termination from the Transport Department for fraud. When the authorities discovered this suppressed fact during regularization proceedings, they refused to regularize his services and terminated him. The respondent sued for declaration and relief, which was dismissed by the trial court. The first appellate court set aside the dismissal and awarded consequential relief, but the High Court partly set aside that judgment directing a fresh enquiry. The Supreme Court held that the termination was valid under the employment terms and service rules, being non-stigmatic and terminable at will. The appeal was allowed and the trial court's judgment was restored, with an additional ex-gratia payment awarded to the respondent.
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