THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION No. 33303 of 2010 O R D E R: This Writ Petition has been directed against an order passed by the Andhra Pradesh Residential Educational Institutions Society, the 2nd respondent herein, on 23.12.2010, imposing on the writ petitioner the punishment of dismissal from service. The writ petitioner worked as a Principal of one of the residential schools run and established by the 2nd respondent herein at Lepakshi of Anantapur District. She has been trapped by the Anti Corruption Bureau while accepting illegal gratification for performing her official duties. She has been prosecuted in C.C.No. 27 of 2005 and the learned Additional Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Hyderabad, by his judgment and order, dated 16.06.2009 convicted the writ petitioner for an offence under Section 7 read with Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. She was sentenced to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for a period of two years and to pay fine of Rs.2,000/-. She preferred an appeal there against and entertaining the said Criminal Appeal No. 689 of 2009, this Court has passed interim suspension of the sentence of imprisonment, pending disposal of the appeal and she has been ordered to be released on bail on executing a bond for Rs.10,000/-. Thus, the conviction handed down by the competent criminal Court is staring at the writ petitioner. As was already noticed supra, she has been convicted of an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and consequently, she has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude. Continuing in service of a person convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude is against public interest and is not conducive to good administration. Therefore, the 2nd respondent has passed the impugned order on 23.12.2010, exercising the power available under the Discipline and Appeal rules of the Society imposing on the writ petitioner the penalty of dismissal from service. The 2nd respondent has noticed the blameworthy conduct of the writ petitioner in accepting a bribe of Rs.1500/- from a Guest Teacher of the institution for performing an official act. Since the writ petitioner had a full-fledged opportunity of facing the charge in the criminal Court, there was no further necessity to hold a detailed enquiry so long as the blameworthy conduct of the writ petitioner which led to her conviction by a competent criminal Court is surviving and subsisting. I, therefore, do not see any ground to entertain this Writ Petition. The Writ Petition is devoid of substance and merit, inasmuch as this Court, in exercise of its power under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, cannot either re-appreciate the evidence gathered by the criminal Court or scrutinize its findings. That is an area, which is confined to the appellate Court’s jurisdiction and hence, I shall not enter upon the said domain. With this, the Writ Petition is dismissed, but however, without costs. --------------------------------------- (NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO, J) 25th January 2011 ksld