HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH **** CWP No.9336 of 2002 (O&M) Date of Decision: 25.07.2011 **** Shivinder Pal Singh & Ors. . . . . Petitioners VS. State of Punjab & Ors. . . . . Respondents **** CORAM : HON’BLE MR.JUSTICE SURYA KANT **** 1. Whether Reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment? 2. To be referred to the Reporters or not? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? **** Present: Mr. Ramesh Goyal, Advocate for the petitioners Mr. BS Chahal, DAG Punjab **** SURYA KANT, J. (ORAL) (1). The petitioners, who are retired/serving Executive Engineers/Assistant Design Engineers of Irrigation Department, Government of Punjab, seek quashing of the orders dated 07.03.2002 & 22.04.2002 (Annexures P9 & P10, respectively) vide which the benefit of proficiency step up granted to them had been withdrawn and their pay re-fixed. The petitioners have placed on record orders (Annexures P15 to P47) impugning the action of the respondents in effecting recovery from them. (2). Notice of motion was issued and pursuant thereto, the respondents have filed their counter-reply/affidavit. It is nowhere averred by the respondents that the petitioners CWP No.9336 of 2002.doc - 2 – misled the authorities or played any fraud or deceived them to secure the undeserving monetary benefit(s). (3). Counsel for the petitioners confines his claim qua recovery only. (4). Applying the ratio decidendi of the Full Bench decision in Budh Ram & Others vs. State of Haryana & Others, 2009(3) PLR 511 as well as the decision by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Registrar, Cooperative Societies Haryana and others v. Israil Khan and others, (2010) 1 SCC 440, I am of the considered view that no recovery can be effected from the petitioners. (5). Consequently, the writ petition is allowed in part and the impugned recovery order(s) (Annexure P15 to P47) are hereby quashed. The respondents are directed to refund the amounts already recovered from the petitioners within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order. (6). Ordered accordingly. Dasti. 25.07.2011 vishal shonkar (S u r y a K a n t) Judge