IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Civl Writ Petition No.17122 of 2011 Date of Decision : September 13, 2011. Tarsem Lal .....Petitioner versus State of Punjab and others .....Respondents CORAM : HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE SURYA KANT. Present : Mr.N.K.Suneja, Advocate, for the petitioner. -.- 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? --- Surya Kant, J. (Oral) The petitioner is a Conductor in the Punjab Roadways. The Disciplinary Authorities passed several orders against the petitioner purportedly under the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970 (hereinafter referred to as 'the 1970 Rules'), imposing punishment of stoppage of one or two increments with cumulative effect. Such like punishments have been held to be major punishments by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Kulwant Singh Gill versus State of Punjab, 1991 suppl (1) SCC 504. No major punishment can be imposed on an employee without holding regular enquiry in accordance with the procedure prescribed in 1970 Rules. No such enquiry was held CWP No.17122 of 2011 [2] while passing the series of punishment orders against the petitioner. He allegedly came to know about these orders when he approached the Authorities under the Payment of Wages Act. The petitioner thereafter pursuing one or the other legal remedies but without success that he has approached this Court. During the course of hearing, learned counsel for the petitioner fairly admits that the impugned orders are appealable under the 1970 Rules. He, however, apprehends and rightly so that in the event of submission of the appeals by the petitioner at this stage, the Appellate Authority is not likely to entertain the same on account of the apparent delay as the limitation period prescribed under the Rules has expired. Having heard learned counsel for the petitioner and keeping in view the petitioner's plea that he came to know about the impugned orders only when he approached the Authorities under the Payment of Wages Act and thereafter he has been pursuing his legal remedies, in my considered view, the petitioner can make out a case before the Appellate Authority for condonation of delay in filing of the appeals in terms of the parameters laid down under the Limitation act for condonation of such delay. The writ petition is accordingly disposed of with liberty to the petitioner to submit the departmental appeals against the orders of major penalties alongwith an application for condonation of delay in each appeal. The Appellate Authority is directed to consider the prayer of the petitioner for condonation of delay sympathetically and make an endeavour to decide the appeal on merits. The appropriate order shall be passed within a period of CWP No.17122 of 2011 [3] six months from the date of filing of such appeals. The Authority shall also keep in view the observations made by this Court in RSA No.3472 of 1985 (State of Punjab versus Shri Premjit and another), 2010 (3) RSJ 513 while deciding the appeals. Ordered accordingly. Dasti. September 13, 2011 (SURYA KANT) Mohinder JUDGE