IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD (Special Original Jurisdiction) FRIDAY, THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF FEBRUARY, TWO THOUSAND NINE PRESENT: THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.5720 of 2002 Between: Ch. Raji Reddy … Petitioner AND The Superintending Engineer (Operation Circle) A.P., Transco, Warangal & another. … Respondents Counsel for the petitioner : Smt. P. Lakshmi for Sri S. Lakshma Reddy This Court made the following: THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.5720 of 2002 ORDER:- This writ petition is filed for a Writ of Mandamus to set aside order dated 24.06.1998 passed by respondent No.1, whereby he rejected the petitioner’s claim for appointment to the post of Junior Lineman/Helper in terms of B.P.Ms.No.36 dated 18.05.1997. The grievance of the petitioner in this writ petition is that his claim is not considered for the post of Junior Lineman under B.P.Ms.No.36 dated 18.05.1997 though he is qualified to be appointed as Junior Lineman. In the impugned order of rejection, it is mentioned that the petitioner was appointed as Junior Lineman in the year 1993 and subsequently dismissed from service in the year 1994 on the proven charge of submission of bogus ITI certificate, that a case in Crime No.30 of 1995 under Sections 420, 468 and 471 IPC was registered by the Divisional Engineer (Operation), Warangal in Subedari Police Station, Hanamkonda and that the petitioner filed WP.No.11476 of 1994 in this Court for not recovering the amounts paid towards salary and got interim stay of recovery of the salary. When the writ petition came up for hearing on an earlier occasion, the case was adjourned at the request of the learned counsel for the petitioner to ascertain on the outcome of the criminal case. Today, at the hearing, Smt. P. Lakshmi representing Sri S. Laxshma Reddy, learned counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the information received from the counsel appearing in the criminal case revealed that the criminal case is still pending. In my considered view, when the petitioner is facing serious charge of producing bogus ITI certificate, which is the subject matter of a criminal case and his services were earlier terminated as lineman, on that ground the respondents are justified in rejecting his claim for a fresh appointment. The petitioner is seeking appointment to a public office and a person, under a serious cloud, cannot claim appointment to such public office as of right. For the abovementioned reasons, I do not find any justification to interfere with the decision of the respondents not to provide public employment to the petitioner in view of his past abhorrent conduct. The writ petition is therefore dismissed. As a sequel to dismissal of the writ petition, WPMP.No.7185 of 2002 filed by the petitioner for interim relief is also dismissed. ____________________________ C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY, J Date: 13.02.2009 ES