In Brief
The State of Rajasthan appealed against a High Court judgment that quashed a termination order passed in 1996 against a Gram Sevak (village-level government employee) for willful absence and non-completion of audit. The Supreme Court held that a writ petition challenging the termination, filed 15 years later in 2012, was barred by delay and laches. Moreover, the employee would have superannuated in 1999, making the relief granted by the High Court unnecessary. The Court allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court's judgment, and restored the termination order, finding that the Single Judge should not have entertained the petition given the substantial passage of time.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.