Case: State Bank Of India  Vs. Bidyut Kumar Mitra

case. In the case of S.K. Sharma (supra), this Court held that violation of any and every procedural provision can not be said to automatically vitiate the enquiry held or order passed. Except in cases falling under - "no notice", "no opportunity" and "no hearing" categories, the complaint of violation of procedural provision should be examined from the point of view of prejudice, viz., whether such violation has prejudiced the delinquent officer/employee in defending himself properly and effectively. In the present case, we have noticed above that the respondent did not even care to submit the list of documents within the stipulated time. Further, he did not even care to specify the relevance of the documents sought to be requisitioned. In our opinion, the appellant Bank has not transgressed any of the principles laid down in the aforesaid judgment whilst conducting and concluding the departmental proceedings against the respondent. Therefore, the aforesaid observations in S.K. Sharmas case are of no avail to the respondent. In the case of Nagarjuna Construction Company Limited (supra), this Court observed as follows:- "The basic principles of natural justice seem to have been disregarded by the State government while revising the order. It acted on materials which were not supplied to the appellants. Accordingly, the High Court for the first time made reference to the report/inspection notes which were not even referred to by the State Government while exercising revisional power." These observations are of no relevance in the facts and circumstances of the present case. The respondent herein is merely trying to make capital of his own lapse in not submitting the list of documents in time and also not stating the relevance of the documents required to be produced. By now, the legal position is well settled and defined. It was incumbent on the respondent to plead and prove the prejudice caused by the non-supply of the documents. The respondent has failed to place on record any facts or material to prove what prejudice has been caused to him. 27. At this stage, it would be relevant to make a reference to certain observations made by this Court in the case of Haryana Financial Corporation and Anr. Vs. Kailash Chandra Ahuja ((2008) 9 SCC 31 ), which are as under:- "From the ratio laid down in B. Karunakar1 it is explicitly clear that the doctrine of natural justice requires supply of a copy of the inquiry officers report to the delinquent if such inquiry officer is other than the disciplinary authority. It is also clear that non-supply of report of the inquiry officer is in the breach of natural justice. But it is equally clear that failure to supply a report of the inquiry officer to the delinquent employee would not ipso facto result in the proceedings being declared null and void and the order of punishment non est and ineffective. It is for the delinquent employee to plead and prove that non- supply of such report had caused prejudice and resulted in miscarriage of justice. If he is unable to satisfy the court on that point, the order of punishment cannot automatically be set aside." 28. We may also notice here that there is not much substance in the submission of Mr. Bandopadhyay that mere breach of Rule 50(11) would give rise to a presumption of prejudice having been caused to the respondent. The aforesaid rule is as under:- "(x) (a) the inquiring authority shall where the employee does not admit all or any of the articles of charge furnish to such employee a list of documents by which, and a list of witnesses by whom, the articles of charge are proposed to be proved.(b) The Inquiring Authority shall also record an order that the employee may for the purpose of preparing his defence:I. inspect and take notes of the documents listed within five days of the order or within such further time not exceeding five days as the Inquiring Authority may allow:II. submit a list of documents and witnesses that he wants for inquiry:III. be supplied with copies of statements of witnesses, if any, recorded earlier and the Inquiring Authority shall furnish such copies not later than three days before the commencement of the examination of the witnesses by the Inquiring Authority. IV. give a notice within ten days of the order or within such further time not exceeding ten days as the Inquiry Authority may allow for the discovery or production of the documents referred to at (II) above. Note: The relevancy of the documents and the examination of the witnesses referred to at (II) above shall be given by the employee concerned.(xi) the Inquiry Authority shall, on receipt of the notice for the discovery of production of the documents, forward the same or copies thereof to the authority in whose custody or possession the documents are kept with a requisition for the production of the documents on such date as may be specified." A perusal of the note under Clause 4 of the aforesaid rule would make it obvious that the respondent was not only to submit a list of documents and witnesses but was also required to state the relevancy of the documents and the examination of the witnesses. The respondent himself having not complied with the procedural requirements can hardly complain that a breach of the procedural requirements under Clause xi would ipso facto result in rendering the enquiry null and void. In any event, since the Disciplinary Authority has not relied on any recommendations of the CVC and the respondent has failed to plead or prove any prejudice having been caused, the disciplinary proceedings can not be said to be vitiated. 29. In our opinion, the aforesaid observations of this Court are fully applicable to the facts and circumstances of this case. In our opinion, the respondent has failed to prove any prejudice caused which has resulted in miscarriage of justice. In our opinion, the judgment of the Division Bench can not be sustained in law.

Decision (1 = appeal accepted, 0 = rejected): 1

Explanation:
1[ds]25. In our opinion, the Division Bench has erroneously relied on the judgment in D.C. Aggarwals case (supra). As rightly observed by the learned Single Judge, in that case this Court considered a situation where the Disciplinary Authority passed an elaborate order regarding findings against the Charge Sheet Officer agreeing on each charge on which CVC had found against him. In these circumstances, this Court observed that:-"The order is vitiated not because of mechanical exercise of powers or for non-supply of the inquiry report but for relying and acting on material which was not only irrelevant but could not have been looked into. Purpose of supplying document is to contest its veracity or give explanation. Effect of non-supply of the report of Inquiry Officer before imposition of punishment need not be gone into nor it is necessary to consider validity of sub-rule (5). But non-supply of CVC recommendation which was prepared behind the back of respondent without his participation, and one does not know on what material which was not only sent to the disciplinary authority but was examined and relied on, was certainly violative of procedural safeguard and contrary to fair and just inquiry."These observations would not be applicable in the facts of the present case as the Disciplinary Authority did not take into consideration any recommendations of the CVC. The judgment was, therefore, rightly distinguished by the learned Single Judge.26. We may now consider the other judgments relied upon by Mr. Bandopadhyay. In the case of Kisan Degree College (supra), this Court noticed that the respondent was dismissed from service on the basis of an Enquiry Report. In that case, the respondent had at the earliest sought for inspection of the documents. He was, however, told to inspect the same at the time of final arguments in the enquiry. It was, therefore, held that the enquiry proceeding had been conducted in breach of rule of natural justice. The aforesaid judgment would have no relevance in the facts of this case. In the case of S.K. Sharma (supra), this Court held that violation of any and every procedural provision can not be said to automatically vitiate the enquiry held or order passed. Except in cases falling under - "no notice", "no opportunity" and "no hearing" categories, the complaint of violation of procedural provision should be examined from the point of view of prejudice, viz., whether such violation has prejudiced the delinquent officer/employee in defending himself properly and effectively. In the present case, we have noticed above that the respondent did not even care to submit the list of documents within the stipulated time. Further, he did not even care to specify the relevance of the documents sought to be requisitioned. In our opinion, the appellant Bank has not transgressed any of the principles laid down in the aforesaid judgment whilst conducting and concluding the departmental proceedings against the respondent. Therefore, the aforesaid observations in S.K. Sharmas case are of no avail to the respondent. In the case of Nagarjuna Construction Company Limited (supra), this Court observed as follows:-"The basic principles of natural justice seem to have been disregarded by the State government while revising the order. It acted on materials which were not supplied to the appellants. Accordingly, the High Court for the first time made reference to the report/inspection notes which were not even referred to by the State Government while exercising revisional power."These observations are of no relevance in the facts and circumstances of the present case. The respondent herein is merely trying to make capital of his own lapse in not submitting the list of documents in time and also not stating the relevance of the documents required to be produced. By now, the legal position is well settled and defined. It was incumbent on the respondent to plead and prove the prejudice caused by the non-supply of the documents. The respondent has failed to place on record any facts or material to prove what prejudice has been caused to him.We may also notice here that there is not much substance in the submission of Mr. Bandopadhyay that mere breach of Rule 50(11) would give rise to a presumption of prejudice having been caused to the respondent. The aforesaid rule is as under:-"(x) (a) the inquiring authority shall where the employee does not admit all or any of the articles of charge furnish to such employee a list of documents by which, and a list of witnesses by whom, the articles of charge are proposed to be proved.(b) The Inquiring Authority shall also record an order that the employee may for the purpose of preparing his defence:I. inspect and take notes of the documents listed within five days of the order or within such further time not exceeding five days as the Inquiring Authority may allow:II. submit a list of documents and witnesses that he wants for inquiry:III. be supplied with copies of statements of witnesses, if any, recorded earlier and the Inquiring Authority shall furnish such copies not later than three days before the commencement of the examination of the witnesses by the Inquiring Authority. IV. give a notice within ten days of the order or within such further time not exceeding ten days as the Inquiry Authority may allow for the discovery or production of the documents referred to at (II) above. Note: The relevancy of the documents and the examination of the witnesses referred to at (II) above shall be given by the employee concerned.(xi) the Inquiry Authority shall, on receipt of the notice for the discovery of production of the documents, forward the same or copies thereof to the authority in whose custody or possession the documents are kept with a requisition for the production of the documents on such date as may be specified."A perusal of the note under Clause 4 of the aforesaid rule would make it obvious that the respondent was not only to submit a list of documents and witnesses but was also required to state the relevancy of the documents and the examination of the witnesses. The respondent himself having not complied with the procedural requirements can hardly complain that a breach of the procedural requirements under Clause xi would ipso facto result in rendering the enquiry null and void. In any event, since the Disciplinary Authority has not relied on any recommendations of the CVC and the respondent has failed to plead or prove any prejudice having been caused, the disciplinary proceedings can not be said to be vitiated.