# DR. BOOL CHAND v. THE CHANCELLOR, KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSHY September 4, I 967

- **Citation:** [1968] 1 S.C.R. 434
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1966-05-08
- **Bench:** J. C. Shah, S. M. Sikri, J. M. Shelat
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/dr-bool-chand-v-the-chancellor-kurukshetra-univershy-september-4-i-967-4113
- **Pages:** 13

## Headnote

B
Kurukshetra University Act, 1956, Sch, I CC.4(vi) & (vii)-Ptm·
jab General Clauses Act, 1898-s. 14. Chancellor given power to appoint Vice-Chancellor but not to determine
employment-whether
such power implied in power to appoint-Nature of Vice-Chancellor's
employment-whether contractual-whether rules of natural justice
required to be followed when determining his employment.
The appellant was a member of the Indian Administrative Ser- c
vice in the Madhya Pradesh Cadre and was compulsorily retired from
the Service fo.1: n;.1sl'·J11duct !Jy an -urder of the President in February,
1963. In June, 1965 he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Kurukshetra University, by the then Chancellor of the University. On
March 31; 1966 the new Chancellor who was in office at the time,
ordered· the suspension of \he appellant from the office of Vice-Chancellor and also issued to hiln a notice to show cause why his services D
should not be terminated. The appellant filed a petition in the High
Court seeking a writ in the nature of mandamus to quash the Chancellor's order of suspension. In the meantime the Chancellor passed an
order on May 8, 1966, in exercise of the power under Clause 4(vi)
of Schedule I to the Kurukshetra University Act, 1956, read with s.14
of the Punjab General Clauses Act, 1398, terminating the services of
the appellant with immediate effect. The appellant then amended his
petition and sought a writ of certiorari to quash the order of May 8. E
1966. The High Court rejected the petition.
In appeal to this Court. it was contended on behalf of the appellant, inter alia, (i) that the Chancellor had no power under the Act
or the Statutes to terminate the tenure of office of a Vice Chancellor;
and (ii) that the Chancellor was bound to hold an enquiry in accordance with the rules of natural justice before determining the appellant's tenure. but the appellant had not been given a proper oppor- F
!unity to · explain why his services should no~, be terminated and,
furthermore, the Chancellor had taken into consideration evidence
which was not disclosed to the appellant.
On the other hand, it was contended for the
respondent that
since the claim for relief by the respondent was founded on an dlegcd breach of contract, the remedy of the appellant. if any, lay in an
action for dama.ges and not in a petition for a high prerogative writ G
HELD, dismissing the appeal:
(i) The absence of a provision setting up the procedure for determining the employment of the Vice-Chancellor in the Act or the
Statutes or Ordinances does not lead to the inference that the tenure
of office of Vice-Chancellor is not liable to be determined. [439H]
A po\\'er to appoint ordinarily implies a power to determine em- H
ployment and this rule is incorporated in s.14 of the Punjab General
Clauses Act I of 1898. [437H-438A]
S. R. Titvari v. District Board, Agra, [1964] 3 S.C.R. 55 and
Leklirai Sathramda.s Lalvani v. N. M. Shah, Deputy Custodian-cumManaging Officer. Born.bay, [1966] 1 S.C.R. 120; referred to.
BOOL OllAND ~: Cl!ANOELLOB
435
A
An intention contrary to the rule was not evidenced either by the
fact that under Clause 4(vii) of the Statutes the appointment of a
Vice-Chancellor is for three years or because there was no express
provision covering the determination of service of a Vice-Chancellor
for misconduct as there was in the c- of teachers. ClauSe 4(vii) of
the Statutes does not purport to confer upon a person appointed ViceChancellor rn indefeasible right to continue in office for three years;
B the clause merely places a restriction upon the power of the Chancellor, when fixing the tenure of the office of Vice-Chancellor. It could
not be held that a person appointed a Vice-Chancellor is entitled to
continue in office for the full period of his appointment even if it
turns out that he is physically decrepit, mentally infirm, or grossly
immoral. [ 438E-F; 439G-H)
S.14 of the General Clauses Act is a general provision: it does
C not merely deal with t

## Text

DR. BOOL CHAND
v.
THE CHANCELLOR, KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSHY
September 4, I 967
A
[J. C. SHAH, S. M. SIKRI AND J. M. SHELAT, JJ.)
B
Kurukshetra University Act, 1956, Sch, I CC.4(vi) & (vii)-Ptm·
jab General Clauses Act, 1898-s. 14. Chancellor given power to appoint Vice-Chancellor but not to determine
employment-whether
such power implied in power to appoint-Nature of Vice-Chancellor's
employment-whether contractual-whether rules of natural justice
required to be followed when determining his employment.
The appellant was a member of the Indian Administrative Ser- c
vice in the Madhya Pradesh Cadre and was compulsorily retired from
the Service fo.1: n;.1sl'·J11duct !Jy an -urder of the President in February,
1963. In June, 1965 he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Kurukshetra University, by the then Chancellor of the University. On
March 31; 1966 the new Chancellor who was in office at the time,
ordered· the suspension of \he appellant from the office of Vice-Chancellor and also issued to hiln a notice to show cause why his services D
should not be terminated. The appellant filed a petition in the High
Court seeking a writ in the nature of mandamus to quash the Chancellor's order of suspension. In the meantime the Chancellor passed an
order on May 8, 1966, in exercise of the power under Clause 4(vi)
of Schedule I to the Kurukshetra University Act, 1956, read with s.14
of the Punjab General Clauses Act, 1398, terminating the services of
the appellant with immediate effect. The appellant then amended his
petition and sought a writ of certiorari to quash the order of May 8. E
1966. The High Court rejected the petition.
In appeal to this Court. it was contended on behalf of the appellant, inter alia, (i) that the Chancellor had no power under the Act
or the Statutes to terminate the tenure of office of a Vice Chancellor;
and (ii) that the Chancellor was bound to hold an enquiry in accordance with the rules of natural justice before determining the appellant's tenure. but the appellant had not been given a proper oppor- F
!unity to · explain why his services should no~, be terminated and,
furthermore, the Chancellor had taken into consideration evidence
which was not disclosed to the appellant.
On the other hand, it was contended for the
respondent that
since the claim for relief by the respondent was founded on an dlegcd breach of contract, the remedy of the appellant. if any, lay in an
action for dama.ges and not in a petition for a high prerogative writ G
HELD, dismissing the appeal:
(i) The absence of a provision setting up the procedure for determining the employment of the Vice-Chancellor in the Act or the
Statutes or Ordinances does not lead to the inference that the tenure
of office of Vice-Chancellor is not liable to be determined. [439H]
A po\\'er to appoint ordinarily implies a power to determine em- H
ployment and this rule is incorporated in s.14 of the Punjab General
Clauses Act I of 1898. [437H-438A]
S. R. Titvari v. District Board, Agra, [1964] 3 S.C.R. 55 and
Leklirai Sathramda.s Lalvani v. N. M. Shah, Deputy Custodian-cumManaging Officer. Born.bay, [1966] 1 S.C.R. 120; referred to.
BOOL OllAND ~: Cl!ANOELLOB
435
A
An intention contrary to the rule was not evidenced either by the
fact that under Clause 4(vii) of the Statutes the appointment of a
Vice-Chancellor is for three years or because there was no express
provision covering the determination of service of a Vice-Chancellor
for misconduct as there was in the c- of teachers. ClauSe 4(vii) of
the Statutes does not purport to confer upon a person appointed ViceChancellor rn indefeasible right to continue in office for three years;
B the clause merely places a restriction upon the power of the Chancellor, when fixing the tenure of the office of Vice-Chancellor. It could
not be held that a person appointed a Vice-Chancellor is entitled to
continue in office for the full period of his appointment even if it
turns out that he is physically decrepit, mentally infirm, or grossly
immoral. [ 438E-F; 439G-H)
S.14 of the General Clauses Act is a general provision: it does
C not merely deal with the appointment of public servants. It deals
with all appointments, and there is no reason to hold, having regard
to the context in which the expression occurs, that the authority invested with the power of appointment has the power to determine
employment as a penalty, but not otherwise. [438G-H)
(ii) The new Chancellor did issue a notice upon the appellant
requiring him to show cause why the tenure of his service should not
D be terminated and the appellant made a representation which was
considered; the appellant was informed of the grounds of the proposed termination of the tenure of his service and an order giving
detailed reasons was passed by the Chancellor. The High Court had
rightly held on the facts that the appellant had the fullest opportunity of making his representation and that the inquiry held by the
Chancellor was not vitiated because of any violations of the rules
of natural justice. [ 443D; 446C]
E
.
(iii) The power to appoint a Vice-Chancellor has its source in the
University Act: investment of that power carries with it the power
to determine the employment but that power may not be exercised
arbitrarily; it can be only exercised for gOod cause, i.e. in the interests
?f the University ~nd only. when it is found after due enquiry held
m a manner consistent with the rules of natural justice that the
F holder of the office is unfit to continue as Vice-Chancellor'. [441G)
A. Francis v. Municipal Councillors of Kuala Lumpur, [1962) 3
All E.R. 633; Barber v, Mancheste". Reg!onal Hospital Board and Anr ..
[1958) All E.R. 322; V1dyodaya U11;1vermty of Ceylon and Ors. v. Silva.
[1964) 3 All :r;:.R. 865; State_ of Orissa v. Dr. (Miss) Binapani, [1967) 2.
S.C.R. 625; Ridge v. Baldwin and Ors. [1964] A.C. 41; referred to.
0
OVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No 246 of
1967.
.
Appeal from the judgment and order dated October 19 1966
of the Punjfb High Court in Civil Writ No. 739 of of 1966:
N. C. Chatterjee, S. C. Agarwala, R. K. Garg K.M.K Nair
B and L. M. Singhvi, for the appellant.
'
·
Niren De, Additional Solicitor-General, Chelan Das Dewan,
Deputy Advocate-General for the State of Haryana and N. H.
Hingorani, for the respondent.
436
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
(1961SJ 1 s.c.11.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
A
Sllah, l. The State of Madhya Pradesh held an enquiry
against the appellant Dr. Boo! Chand-a member of the Indian
Administrative Service-on charges of "grcss misconduct and indiscipline" in respect of the conduct of the appellant when he was
Collector District Rajgarh. The Enquiry Officer held that in. re·
cording certain remarks "regarding association of the Commis- R
sioner of Bhopal with one B.L. Gupta a pleader of Zirapur", the
appellant was "actuated by malice" and ·his conduct "offended
against official propriety, decorum and discipline", and that the
appellant had without permission removed a safe from the Rajgarh Treasury. The President of India served notice upon the appellant requiring him to show cause against the IJrder of compulsory C
retirement proposed to be passed in regard to him. The President
also consulted the Union Public Service Commission. The Union
Put''c Service Commission was of the view that "in the light of
the fin.:::igs and conclusions stated by them and having regard
to all the .::~cumstances relevant to the case, the penalty of compulsory retirement on proportionate pension should be imposed D
upon" the appellant, and they advised the President accordingly.
By arder dated February 28, 1963, the President directed that the
appellant be compulsorily retired from the Indian Administra'
tive Service with immediate effect.
In March 1965 the appellant was appointed Professor and
Head of the Department of Political Science in the Punjab U niver- E
sity. On June 18, 1965, the appellant was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Kurukshetra University by order of Mr. Hafiz Mohd.
Ibrahim-who was the Chancellor of the University. After
Mr.
Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim vacated the office
of Chancellor of the
University, Sardar Ujjal Singh, Governt>r of Punjab, held the office
of Chancellor. On March 31, 1966, the Chancellor Sardar Ujjal F
Singh ordered that the appellant be suspended from the office of
Vice-Chancellor, and by another arder the Chancellor issued
a
notice requiring the appellant to show cause why his services a&
Vice-Chancellor of the Kurukshetra University be not terminated.
The appellant submitted his representation, and shortly thereafter filed a petition in the High Court of Punjab for a writ in the
nature of mandamus quashing the order and the
notice dated G
, March. 31, 1966. On May, 8, 1966 the Chancellor passed an order
· in e~ercise of the power under sub-cl. !vi) of cl. 4 of Sch. I to the
Kurukshetra University Act. 1956, read with s. 14 of the Punjab
General Clauses Act, l 898, terminating with immediate effect "the
services" of the appellant "from the office of Vicj:-Chancellor of
the Kurukshetra University". The petition was then amended by B:
the appellant. and a writ of certiorari or appropriate writ calling
for the record and quashing the order dated May 8, 1966. termi1 nating the services of the appellant was also claimed. The High
Court rejected the petition filed by the appellant. Against that
DOOL CHAND t'. CHANCELLOR (Snah, J.)
437
A order, with certificate granted by the High Court, this appeal has
been preferred.
The first argument raised on behalf of the appellant is that
the Chancellor had no power to terminate the tenure of office of a
Vice.Chancellor. It is necessary. in considering the validity of
that argument, to read certain provisions of the Kurukshetra UniB versity Act 12 of 1956. By s. 4 the University is invested with the
power, inter alia, to do all such things as may be necessary, incidental or conducive to the attainment of ail or any of the objects
of the University. By s. 7, amongst others, the Chancellor, the
Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar are declared to be officers of
the University. By s. 8 the powers, duties of officers, terms of
c office and filling of casual vacancies are to be prescribed by the
statutes. Section 14(1) provides that the
statutes in Sch. I shall
be the statutes of the University and that.the "Court bf the University" shall have the power to make new or additional statutes and
to amend or repeal the statutes. By s. 21 it is provided that every
salaried officer and teacher of the University shall be appointed
under a written contract. which shall be lodged with the UniverD sity. By cl. 4 of Sch. I the Vice-Chancellor is declared the principal executive and academic officer bf the University, and also the
ex-officio Chairman of the Executive Council, the Academic
Council, and the Finance Committee, and is invested with authority to see that the Act. the Statutes, the Ordinances and the
Regulations are faithfully observed, and to take such action as
E he deems necessary in that behalf. The Vice-Chancellor is also
authorised to exercise general control over the affairs of the University and to give effect to the decisions of the authorities of
the University. Sub-cla.uses (vi) & (vii) of cl. 4 provide:
"(vi) The 'Upa-Kulapati' (Vice-Chancellor) shall be
appointed by the 'Kulapati' (Chancellor) on terms and
F
conditions to be laid by the 'Kulapati' (Chancellor).
(vii) The 'Upa-Kulapati' <Vice-Chancellor) shall hold
office ordinarily for a period of three years which term
may
be renewed."
From a review of these provisions it is clear that the Vice-ChanG cellor is an officer of the University
invested with
executive
powers set cut in the Statutes and his appointment is to be made
ordinarily for a period of three years and on terms and conditions
laid down by the Qiancellor.
There is no express provision in the Kurukshetra University
Act or the Statutes thereunder which deals with the termination
R of the tenure of office of Vice-Chancellor. But on that account
we are unable to accept the plea of the appellant that the tenure
of office of a Vice.Chancellor under the Act cannot be determined before the expiry of the period for which he is appointed. A
power to appoint ordinarily implies a power to determine the
4:l8
SUPREllE COURT llEPOll'rS
[1968] I s.c.R.
employment. In S. R. Tiwari v. District Board. Agra.(') it was A.
observed by this Court at p. 67:
"Power to appoint ordinarily carries with it the power to
determine appointment, and a power to terminate may
in the absence of restrictions express or implied be exercised, subject to the conditions
prescribed in that behalf, by the authority competent to appoint."
A similar view was also expressed in Lekhraj Satliramdas Lalvani
v. N. M. Shah, Deputy Custodia11-c11m-Ma11agi11g Officer. · Bombay('). That rule is incorporated ·in s. 14 of the Punjab General
Clauses Act 1 of 1898. That section provides:
"Where, by any Punjab Act, a power to make any appointment is conferred, then, unless a different intention
appears, the authority having for the time being power
to make the appointment shall also have power to
suspend or dismiss any person appointed whether by
itself or any other authority by it in exercise of that
power."
Counsel for the appellant urged that since the general rule
is given a statutory form, the validity tJf the exercise of the power
to determine the tenure of the office of the appellant must'be found
in s. 14 of the Punjab General Clauses Act. Counsel says that
B
D
s. 14 has no application to the interpretation of the Kurukshetra
University Act, because cl. 4(vii) of the Statutes which prescribes E
that the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor shall ordinarily be for
a period of three years discloses a different intention. But cl. 4(vii)
.of the Statutes does not purport to confer upon a person appointed Vice-Chancellor an indefeasible right to continue in office for
three years: the clause merely places a restriction upon the
power of the Chancellor, when fixing the tenure of the office of F
Vice-Chancellor.
Counsel also urged that under s. 14 of the Act power to appoint includes power to dismiss, but not to determine employment. In support of that contention he urged that in relation to
the tenure of service of a public servant. the expression "to dismiss" has come to mean to determine employment as a measure G
of punishment. But s. 14 of the General Clauses Act is a general
provision: it does not merely deal with the appointment of public servants. It deals with all. appointments, and there is no reason
to hold, having regard to the context in which the expression
occurs, that the authority invested with the power of appointment
has the power to determine employment as a
penalty, but not If
otherwise. The expression "dismiss" does not in its etymological
sense necessarily involve any S11Ch meaning as is urged by counsel
<'> (1964] 3 s.c.R 55.
(') [1966] 1 S.C.R 120.
BOOL CllAND 11J cllAJ!ICELLOB (Shah, J,)
439
A for the appellant. The implication that dismissal of a servant involves determination of employment as a pe!!.alty has been
a
matter of recent development since the Government of India Act,
1935, was enacted .. By that Act certain restrictions were imposed
upon the power of the authorities to dismiss or remove members
of the civil setvices, from employment. There is no warrant howB ever for assuming that in the General Clauses Act, 1898, the expression "dismiss" which was generally used in connection with
the termination of appointments was intended to be used only in
the sense of determination of employment as a measure of punishment.
The expression "Punjab Act'' is defined in s. 2(46) c1f the PunC jab General Clauses Act as meaning an Act made by the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab in Council under the Indian Councils Acts, 1861 to 1909, or any of those Acts, or the Gavernment
of India Act, 1915, or by the Local Legislature or the Governor
of the Punjab under the Government of India Act, or by the Provincial Legislature or the Governor of the Punjab, or by the Provincial Legislature or the Governor of East Punjab under the
D Government of India Act, 1935, or by the Legislature of Punjab
under the Constitution. By s. 14(1) of the Kurukshetra University
Act 12 of 1956, it was declared that on the commencement of the
Act, the Statutes of the University shall be those as set out in the
Schedule I. The Statutes incorporated in the First Schedule were
made by the Legislature and must for the purpose of s. 14 of the
E Punjab General Clauses Act be regarded as "Punjab Act". They
do not cease to be "Punjab Act" merely because they ;ire liable
to be altered by the University Court in exercise of the power conferred by s. 14(2) of the University Act.
It was also urged that whereas provision was made by cl. 6
of the Annexure to Ordinance XI that the services of the teaF chers may be summarily determined on the ground of misconduct.
there was no such provision for determination of the .employment
of the Vice-Chancellor and that also Indicated an intention to the
contrary within the meaning of s. 14 of the Punjab General Clauses Act. We are unable to agree with that contention. It is true.
the offi?C. ?f the Vi~~no/ of 8: University is one of great
G r~spons1b1hty and cames with 1t constderable prestige and authority. But w~ are ~nable to h<?ld t~t a person appointed a ViceC.hancell?r 1s entitled .«>.continue 1n office for the full period of
his appo11.1tment even if 1t ~s out that he is physically decrepit.
~entally mfirrn, or grossly unmoral. Absence of a provision setting up pr~ure for determining the employment of the ViceChancellor m the Act or the Statutes or Ordinances does not in
B o~r judgment, le:td to ~e inference that the tenure <fi office' of
~1ce-qiancellor ts not !table to be determined. The first contention raised by counsel for the appellant must therefore fail.
It was then urged by counsel for the appellant that the Chancellor was bound to hold an enquiry against the appellant before
SUPREME COUR'r REPORTS
(1968) l B.O.B.
determining his tenure, and the enquiry must be held in conson- A
ance with the rules of natural justice. The Additional SolicitorGeneral submitted that since the claim for relief by the appellant
was founded on an alleged breach of contract, the remedy of the
appellant, if any, lay in an action for damages, and not in a petition for a high prerogative writ. The Additional Solicitor-General
invited our attention to the averments made in the petition filed B
by the appellant that the Chancellor "was·bound by the letter of
appointment which created a tenure of office for three years" and
which the Chancellor could not unilaterally determine in the purported exercise of an assumed power, and that in any event no
such circumstances had been disclosed which would entitle the
Chancellor to avoid the contract of service which was binding on
the University, and submitted that since it was the appellant's ~case C
that his appointment as Vice-Chancellor was purely contractual.
and the Chancellor had no power unilaterally to determine the
contract, no relief of declaration about the invalidity of the order
of the Chancellor may be granted in exercise of the jurisdiction of
the High Court to issqe high prerogative writs, and the only remedy which the appellant is entitled to claim is compensation for D
breach of contract, in action in a Civil Court.
It is true, as pointed out by the Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council in A. Francis v. Municipal Councillors of Kuala
Lumpur('), that when there has been purported termination of
a contract of service, a d'eclaration that the contract of service still
subsisted would rarely be made and would not be made in the E
absence of special circumstances, because
of the principle that
the Courts do not grant specific performance of contracts of s~r
vice. The same view was expressed in Barber v. Manc<hester Rcgimwl Hospital Board and Anr(') and in Vidyodaya University of
Ceylon and Ors. v. Silva('). In these cases the authority appointing a servant was acting in exercise of statutory authority but the ;1
relation between the person appointed and the employer was contractual, and it was held that the relation between the employer
and the person appointed being that of master and servant, termination of relationship will not entitle the servant to a declaration
that his employment had not been validly determined.
If the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor gave rise to the G
relation of master and servant governed by the terms of appointment, in the absence of special
circumstances, the High Court
would relegate a party complaining of wrongful termination
of
the contract to a suit for compensation, and would not exercise its
jurisdiction to issue a high prerogative writ compelling the Uni·
·versity to retafa the services of the Vice-Chancellor whom
the H
University does not wish to retain in service. But the office of a
(' l [1H621 3 All E.R. 633.
!') [lr581 1 All E.R. 3~2.
i") [1P64] 3 All E.R. 865.
HOOL CHAND V. CHANCELLOR (Sha/1, J.)
441
A Vice-Chancellor is created by the University Act: and by his appointment the Vice-Chancellor is invested with statutory powers
and authority under the Act The petition filed by he appellant
in the High Court is a confused docwnent. Thereby the appellant
did plead that the relation between him and the University was
contractual, but that was not the whole pleading. The appellant
B also pleaded, with some circumlocution that since he was
appointed to the office, of Vice-Chancellor which is created by the
Statute, the tenure of his appointment could not be determined
without giving him an opportunity to explain why his appointment should not be terminated. The University Act, the Statutes
and the Ordinances do not lay down the conditions in which the
appointment of the Vice-Chancellor may be determined, nor does
C the Act prescribe any limitations upon the exercise of the power
of the Chancellor to determine the employment. But once the appointment is made in pursuance of a Statute, though the appointing authority is not precluded from determining the employment.
the decision of the appointing authority to terminate the appointment may be based only upon the result of an enquiry held in a
1) manner consistent with the basic concept of justice and fairplay.
E
F
This Court observed in State of Orissa v. Dr. (Miss) Binapani(')
at p. 1271:
"It is one of the fundamental rules of our constitutional
set'up that every citizen is protected against exercise of
arbitrary authority by the State or its officers. Duty to
act judicially would, therefore, arise from the every nature of the function intended to be performed, it need
not be shown to be super-added. If there is power to decide and determine to the prejudice of a person, duty to
act judicially is implicit in the exercise of such power. If
the essentials of justice be ignored and an order to the
prejudice of a person is made, the order is a nullity. That
is a basic concept of the rule of law and importance
th!)reof . tr11nscends . the significance of a decision in anY
particular case."
The power to appoint a Vice-Chancellor has its source in
the
University Act: investment of that power carries with it the power,
G to determine the employment; but the power is coupled with
duty. The power may not be exercised arbitrarily, it can be only
exercised, for good cause, i.e. in the interests of the University and
only when it is found after due enquiry held in manner consistent
with the rules of natural justice, that the holder of the .office is
unfit to c0n1nue as Vice-ChancelloT
ll
In Wdge v .. B¢dwin and Others(') a chief constable who was
subject to the J,>olice Acts and Regulations was, during the pen·
dency of certain criminal proceedin11:s in which he was arrested
(') J196'7J 2 S.C.R 625.
(') {1964] A.C. 41.
442
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
(1968] l s.o.R.
and charged together with other persons, with conspiracy to ob- A.
struct the course of justice, was
suspended from duty by the
borough watch committee. The chief constable was acquitted by
the jury on the criminal charges against him and he applied to
be reinstated. The watch committee at a meeting decided that the
chief constable had been negligent in the discharge of his duties
and in purported exercise of the powei·s conferre:J on them by B
s. 191 (4) of the Act of 1882 dismissed him from office. No specific
charge was formulated against him, but the watch committee in
arriving at their decision, considered his own statements in evi·
dence and the observations made by the Judge who acquitted him.
in support of the order of dismissal. The chief constable appealed
to the Home Secretary who held that there was sufficient material
on which the watch committee could
properly exercise their C
power of dismissal under s. 191(4). The decision af the Home Sec·
retary was made final and binding on the parties by s. 2(3) of the
Police Appeals Act. 1927. The chief constable then commenced
an action for a declaration that the purported termination CJf his
·appointment as. chief constable was illegal, ultra vires and void.
and for payment of salary. The action was taken in appeal to the D
House of Lords. The House of Lords (Lord Evershed dissenting)
held that the decision of the watch committee to dismiss the chief
constable was null and void, and that accordingly notwithstanding that the decision of the Home Secretary was made final and
binding on the parties, that decision could not give validity to the
decision of the watch committee. Lord Reid observed at p. 65:
E
"So I shall deal first with cases of dismissal. These appear
to fall into three classes: dismissal of a servant by his
master, dismissal from office held during pleasure, and
dismissal from an office where there must be something
against a man to warrant his dismissal.
The law regarding master and servant is not in doubt.
There cannot be specific perfonnance of contract of
service, and the master can terminate the contract with
his servant at any time and for any reason or for none.
But if he does so in a manner not warranted by the con·
tract he must pay damages for breach of contract. So the
question in a pure case of master and servant does not
at all depend on whether the master has heard the ser·
vant in his own defence: it depends on whether the facts
emerging at the trial prove breach of contract.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then there are many cases where a man holds an
office at pleasure. Apart from judges. and .. others whose
tenure of office is governed by statute, all servants and
officers of the Crown hold office at pleasure, and this has
been held even to apply to a colonial judge (Terrell v.
Secretary of State for the Colonies: (1952) 2 Q.B. 482).
It has always been held, J think rightly. and the reason is
clear. As the person having the power of dismissal need
F
G
H
A
B
BOOL CHAND t'. CHANCELLOR (S/ta/i, J.)
not have anything against the officer, he need not give
any reasons.
.
.
.
,.
.
So I come to the third class, which
includes the·
present case. There I find an unbroken line of authority
to the effect that an officer cannot lawfully be dismissed
without first telling him what is alleged against him and
hearing his defence or explanation."
The case of the appellant falls within the third class mentioned
by Lord .Reid, and the tenure of his office could not be interrupted
without first informing him of what was alleged against him and
without giving him an opportunity to make his defence or explaC nation.
The Chancellor Sardar Ujjal Singh did issue a notice upon theappellant requiring him to show cause why the tenure ril' his service should not be terminated. The appellant made a representation which was considered, and his tenure was determined because
D in the view of the Chancellor it was not in the public interest to
retain the appellant as Vice-Chancellor. The appellant was informed of the grounds of the proposed termination of the tenure of
his oftke and an order giving detailed reasons was passed by the
Chancellor,
But the appellant contended that in ;miving at his decision.
E the Chancellor misread the order of the President and took into
consideration evidence which was not disclosed to the appellant
and failed to consider evidence in his favour which was on the
record. It is true. that the order of the President only recites that
the appellant was compulsorily retired as an officer of the Madhya
Pradesh Cadre of the Indian Administrative Service : it does not
F expressly state that the order of compulsory retirement was imposed as a penalty. But a review of the disciplinary proceedings
against the appellant which culminated in the order of the President leaves no room for doubt. The order of compulsory retireme11t was pa,ssed against the appellant as a penal order.
There is no substance in the plea that the order of the Chan,
G cellor was vitiated, since the Chancellor in ascertaining the true
effect of the order of the President took into consideration a letter
from the Secretary (Services), Government of India, Ministry of
Home Affairs, dated May 6, 1966. The letter which has been set
ciut in the order of the Chancellor merely catalogues the various
steps taken by the different authorities which . considered the case
B of the appellant before the -order of compulsory retirement of theappellant from the Indian Administrative Service was passed by
the President. That letter contains no new material.
The plea that the Chancellor was inlluenced by evidence
which was not disclosed to the appellant is also without substance.
SUPRR'.llE COURT REPORTS
[1968) I $.C.R.
[t appears that before he passed the order of suspension the Chan- A
cellor had received letter from Prof. D.C. Sharma; and Dr. A. C.
Joshi in answer to enquiries made by him relating to the circumstances in which the appellant was appo\nted to the post of Professor of Political Science in the University of Punjab. and these
letters were not disclosed to the appellant. Counsel for the appellant says that these letters indicate that the University authorities B
fully knowing that the appellant was compulsorily retired from
the Indian Administrative Service, appointed him as Vice-Chancellor. But the appellant did not specifically plead or make out the
case that the Chancellor Mr. Hafiz Mohd.
Ibrahim was made
aware of the order of compulsory retirement. The Chancellor
Sardar Ujj<il Singh in passing the impugned. order considered the
grounds set up in the representation and then posed the question C
whether his predecessor in office, when he made the appointment
of the appellant was aware of the fact that the appellant had been
.compulsorily retired as a measure of punishment from the Indian
Administrative Service, and came to the conclusion that there was
nothing to show that he-Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim-was aware
d the ord·er of compulsory retirement. Jn paragraph 13
of his D
·order, the Chancellor Sardar Ujjal Singh observed:
"At the time of his appointment as Vice-Chancellor,
the fact of his compulsory retirement was not known to
the Chief Minister or the then Chancellor. The ;Jlleged
knowledge of the fact of compulsory retirement on the
part of the Chief Minister. Cabinet or the previous
E
Chancellor is, therefore. without any b,1sis."
Un1ess he ""s moved in that behalf by the appellnnt it was not
the duty of the Chancellor Sardar !Jjjal Singh. before he passed
the order against the appellant determining the tenure of his appointment. to enquire of Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim who passe<:
the order of appointment and of the Chief
Minister,
Punjab. F
whether they had come to know of the order of the President. In
the petition filed before the High Court the petitioner merely averred in ground (iv) (d) that "the order of the Chancellor was vitiated. imer a/ia, because the Chancellor had without any material
rnme to a conclusion that there was no basis to allege knowledge
of the fact of compulsory
retirement on the part of the Chief G
Minister or the Cabinet or the previous Chancellor": he did not
set up the case that the Chmcellor had
information about the
order of the President. His principal plea was that he was under
no obligation .to discfose that he was compulsorily retired from
the Indian Administrative Service. In the affidavit filed by Sardar
Ujjal Singh. the assertion made in ground (iv) (d) is denied. Affi- R
davits of Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim and Mr. Ram Kishan. Chief
Minister. Punjab. were also filed before the High Court. and it
was averred that neither of. them knew at the time when the appointment was ma~e that the appella~t had b~e~
c?mpulso:ily
:retired by the President from the Indrnn Adm10istrat1ve Service.
If ,
...
JJOOL CHAND V, CHANCELLuR (Shalt, J.)
445
A Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim further averred that "this information
did not also come to his notice so long he remained Chancellor of
the Kurukshetra University'', and that if the fact of compulsory
retirement of the appellant as a penalty had been within his knowledge, he would not have appointed the appellant as Vice-Chancellor. Even after the affidavits by Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim and
B Mr. Ram Kishan were filed, the appellant by his supplementary
affidavit which was filed on July 27, 1966, did not contend that
Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim or the Chief Minister had information
about the determination of his employment in the Indian Administrative Service. His plea was that the members of the syndicate,
the members of the senate and the Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab
University had knowledge about determination
of his
employC ment, when he was appointed Professor of Political Science; and
that plea, we agree with the High Court,. was wholly irrelevant.
It is true that the Chancellor in his order recorded that Mr ..
Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim did not know at the time of making the
appointment of the appellant to the office of Vice-Chancellor that
he was compulsocily retired from the Indian Administrative SerD vice. But no inference arises therefrom that Sardar U jjal Singh
before he passed the orders made any enquiries or had access to
evidence which was not disclosed to the appellant. We are unable
to agree with counsel for the appellant that before a conclusion
could be recorded, it was the duty of Sardar Ujjal Singh to ascertain from Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim and Mr. Ram Kishan whether
E they were aware before the appellant was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the order passed by the President. The Chancellor, Sardar·
Ujjal Singh, was, in our judgment, under no obligation, unless
moved by the appellant. to hold such enquiry. It _was for the ap·
pellant to take up the defence that Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim was
informed of the order of the President and to take steps to prove
F that fact. He did not take up that defence, and he cannot now
seek to make· out the case that the order was vitiated because the
Chancellor Sardar Ujjal Singh did not make an enquiry which the
Chancellor was never asked to make. The reference to the letter
of Prof. D. C. Shamia in the order af the Chancellor has no bearing either on the true effect of the order of the President or on the
G question whether the Chancellor was cognizant of the order passed
by the President.
The argument that when considering the letter of Prof. D:C.
Sharma. the Chancellor should have also considered the letter· of
Dr. AC. Joshi requires no serious consideration. The letters of
Prof. D. C. Sharma and Dr. A. C. Joshi are, in our judgment. irreH levant in considering whether the Chancellor
Mr. Hafiz Mohd.
Ibrahim was aware of the order passed by the President. It is impossible to raise an inference tliat because the order of the President was gazetted and certain members of the syndicate and
senate were aware of the order of the President, knowledge must
also be attributed to the Chancellor.
UG
SUl.'REME COURT REPORTS
[1968] l s.c.a.
The proceeding resulting in the order passed by the Chancel· A ,
for does not suffer from any such infirmity as would justify this
Court in holding that the rules of natural justice were not complied with. It is unnecessary in the circumstances to consider the
argument advanced by the Additional Solicitor-General that even
if Mr. Hafiz Mohd. Ibrahim was aware of the order passed by the
President ordering compulsory retirement of the appellant from B
the Indian Administrative Service, it was still open to his successor
Sardar Ujjal Singh to determine the tenure of office of the appellant as Vice-Chancellor, if in his view it appeared, having regard
to the antecedents of the appellant, that the appellant was unfit to
continue as Vice-Chancellor.
We agree with the High Court that the appellant had the c
fullest opportunity of making his representation and that the
enquiry held by the Chancellor was not vitiated because of violation of the rules of natural justice.
In the very scheme of our educational set-up at the University level, the post of Vice-Chancellor is of very great importance,
and if the Chancellor was of the view, after making due enquiry, D
that a person of the antecedents of the appellant was unfit to continue as Vice-Chancellor, it would be impossible, unless the plea
that the Chancellor acted maliciously or for a collateral purpose
is made out, for the High Court to declare that order ineffective.
The plea that the Chancellor acted ma/a fide was raised, but was
not pressed before the High Court.
The appeal therefore fails. There will be no order as to costs.
R.K.P. S.
Appeal dismissed.
E