High Court rejects tribunal employee’s petition

The Karnataka High Court has rejected a petition filed by a State Administrative Tribunal employee who challenged the Tribunal’s order to withhold his two annual increments with cumulative effect. The charges against him included disobeying the Chairman’s instructions and using discourteous language.

The division bench of Justices Krishna S Dixit and Justice CM Joshi dismissed S Purushothama’s petition, stating that insubordination in public service is a serious issue that affects organisational hierarchy and administrative efficiency. The court ordered the petitioner to pay Rs 10,000 to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority within six weeks.

The petitioner contested his deployment to the Belagavi Bench, claiming the Chairman lacked authority and no vacancy existed. However, citing section 13(1A) of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, and Karnataka Administrative Tribunal Rules, 1992, the bench emphasised that the Chairman’s role as ‘the Conscience Keeper of the Tribunal’ requires strict adherence to administrative orders by all staff members. The court confirmed that the petitioner’s failure to comply with the deployment order constituted misconduct.