HC quashes Haryana engineer’s suspension for not answering minister’s call

On Tuesday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court annulled an order that suspended a superintendent engineer of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVNL) by Power and Labour Minister Anil Vij for his supposed inability to take a call from another Cabinet Minister, Mahipal Dhanda.

On April 16, Vij suspended Superintendent Engineer Hari Dutt after receiving a complaint from Dhanda.

A panel led by Justice Jagmohan Bansal annulled Dutt’s suspension, labeling the directive as “non-speaking and mechanical.” The court emphasized the duty of administrative bodies to offer explicit and detailed justifications for punitive measures.

The ruling was made on a petition submitted by Dutt, contesting his suspension. The DHBVNL order had put him on immediate suspension and directed him to register attendance at the office of the Chief Engineer (Operations), DHBVNL, Delhi. He was entitled to receive a subsistence allowance according to Rule 83 of the Haryana Civil Services (General) Rules, 2016.

Representing the petitioner, Advocate Ashwani Talwar contended that Dutt’s suspension was initiated due to his inability to answer a call from a minister on April 16, as indicated in news reports. Opposing attorney Prince Singh argued that the lawsuit was founded on inadequate recovery rates in Dutt’s division and that a charge sheet was being drafted.