COURTESY HT DEC 30

Haryana govt admits to sacking driver over post against dy CM
HT Correspondent

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

CHANDIGARH : The Haryana government has admitted to sacking of a driver in Hisar district over his Facebook post against deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala.

In response, sub-division officer (civil), Hansi in Hisar, Jitender Singh, who conducted the probe and sacked the driver, told the Punjab and Haryana high court that the driver’s conduct and work were not satisfactory as he wrote a post on the social media against the deputy chief minister which is a serious offence.

After conducting preliminary enquiry, his service was dispensed with.

This response came to a plea from one Panna Lal, who is a contractual driver with sub-division officer (SDO) (civil), Hansi in Hisar, who was terminated from services on December 15.

Lal had alleged that he was terminated without being afforded an opportunity of personal hearing and without following the principles of natural justice.

The Haryana government told the Punjab and Haryana hight court that he was appointed in May 2018 for one year and thereafter his term was extended up to July 25, 2020.

He has no right of continuity in service.

No fundamental right was violated in his case, upon allegation he was called to SDO (civil) office, where he refused to give a statement in this case.

To Lal’s claims that the posts in question were made by someone else and not by him, that too in 2018-2019, the Haryana government says the Facebook post is from this year and not earlier as claimed by him.

On violation of Article 311 (2) by the government in his termination, which lays down that a chargsheet has to be issued and the employee as to be afforded a reasonable time to put across his stand, the government says him being a contractual employee, these provisions do not apply in his case.

The matter stands adjourned now for January 5.