This Court has stated in no uncertain terms in the case of P. L. Dhingra vs Union of India, [1958] SCR p. 828 at 862 as follows: "But even if the Government has, by contract or under the rules, the right to terminate the employment without going through the procedure prescribed for inflicting the punishment of dismissal or removal or reduction in rank, the Government may, nevertheless, choose to punish the servant and if the termination of service is sought to be founded on misconduct, negligence, inefficiency or other disqualification, then it is a punishment and the requirements of Article 311 must be complied with." This decision has been relied upon by this Court in the case of K.H. Phadnis vs State of Maharashtra, [1971] SCR (Supp.) p. 118 where it has been held that even in the case of reversion of an employee who has been repatriated from the temporary post of Controller of Food Grains Department to his parent department of Excise and Prohibition, to which he had a lien might be sent back to the substantive post in ordinary routine administration or because of exigencies of service.