Temporary staff can’t be sacked sans hearing: HC

The Madhya Pradesh high court has said that the principle of natural justice applies to temporary employees as well, and they can’t be dismissed from service without being given a hearing if it is being done on some charge that is stigmatic. The judgment came in response to a petition filed by a peon of Chhindwara district civil court, who was appointed against a contingency fund. The petitioner, Sunil Kumar Verma, said he was appointed as waterman in the district court in July 1994 and promoted to peon two years later but his services were not regularised.

According to his petition, a ‘false FIR’ was lodged against him on January 2, 2000, and he was arrested. Since he was in police custody, he couldn’t come to work the next day and on the basis of “unauthorised absence from duty”, he was terminated from service on January 20, 2000, he says.