THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE R. SUBHASH REDDY WRIT PETITION No. 3347 of 2010 O R D E R: Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Standing Counsel for the respondent Corporation and at their request, this Writ Petition is being disposed of at the stage of admission. In this Writ Petition, the petitioner seeks directions to the respondents to pay him the differential wages for the period in which he was kept under suspension, in compliance with Regulation 21(2)(a) of the APSRTC (Classification, Control and Appeal) Regulations, 1967. The petitioner was working as a Traffic Inspector Grade - III under the administrative control of the 2nd respondent. When he was working as such, a criminal case was registered against him and others on the complaint filed by his daughter-in-law, on the file of the Station House Officer, Kadapa. Therefore, he was placed under suspension on 16.07.2008. After acquittal of the petitioner in criminal case, he was re-instated into service with effect from 03.04.2009 and thereafter, he retired from service on 30.06.2009. Now the grievance of the petitioner is that though he was acquitted in criminal proceedings and even the disciplinary proceedings were dropped, he is not being paid the differential wages, subsistence allowance and the salary payable to him for the period of suspension i.e. from 16.07.2008 to 03.04.2009. The petitioner places reliance on Regulation 21(2)(a) of the Regulations, which reads as under: “ 21(2)(a): Where such competent authority holds that the employee has been fully exonerated or in case of suspension, that it was unjustifiable, the employee shall be granted the full pay and allowances to which he would have been entitled had he not been dismissed, removed or suspended as the case may be.” In this case, it is to be noted that the disciplinary proceedings were dropped and that he was placed under suspension based on the criminal case registered against him, with effect from 16.07.2008. In view of the acquittal in criminal proceedings after trial, the petitioner was reinstated into service with effect from 03.04.2009 and he was allowed to retire on 30.06.2009. Though no counter-affidavit is filed, the learned Standing Counsel appearing for the respondents submits that the disciplinary proceedings against the petitioner were dropped and that no further proceedings are initiated against him. In view of the fact that the disciplinary proceedings were dropped against the petitioner and also in view of the fact that the order of suspension was solely based on the criminal case registered against the petitioner, in which, he was also tried and acquitted, I find that there is no justification for the respondents in not paying the differential wages for the period of suspension to the petitioner. As it is stated that the petitioner was allowed to retire on 30.06.2009, I deem it appropriate to dispose of the Writ Petition with a direction to the respondents to pay the differential wages during the period of suspension i.e. the differential amount between the subsistence allowance and salary and other allowances payable to the petitioner from 16.07.2008 to 03.04.2009 within a period of six (6) weeks from the date of receipt of the order. The Writ Petition is accordingly allowed. ---------------------------- (R. SUBHASH REDDY, J) 9th June 2010 ksld