Dr. K. Prabhu v. the State of Karnataka
Service law – recovery of alleged excess Dearness Allowance and House Rent Allowance
Case brief
What is this about?
Excess DA HRA recovery retired professors Karnataka High Court; Mysore University; Bangalore University; aided colleges; 7th Pay Commission revised UGC pay scales; recovery impermissible from retired employees; Rafiq Masih (2015) 4 SCC 334 paragraph 18; show-cause notice natural justice civil consequences; quashing of recovery communications HRMS/459/2023-24 dated 20.03.2024 and 27.03.2024; in-service professors recovery permissible only after notice and establishment of excess; NC: 2025:KHC:6993; Justice S.G. Pandit; decided 11.02.2025.
What did the court decide?
Impugned recovery communications/orders quashed insofar as retired Professors in: W.P.No.26147/2024 (No.HRMS/459/2023-24 dated 20.03.2024, Annexures-A, A2, A4); W.P.No.19707/2021 (No.ESTII-E3:Audit:Reply/2019-20 dated 18.08.2021, Annexures-A to A2); W.P.No.22810/2022 (dated 20/31.10.2022, Annexures-A to A34); W.P.No.23275/2022 (Annexures-A to A22); W.P.No.23754/2022 (Annexures-A to A12); W.P.No.1152/2023 (Annexures-A to A7); W.P.No.1791/2023 (Annexure-A); W.P.No.3387/2023 (Annexures-A, A1); W.P.No.6729/2023 (communications dated 18.03.2023, Annexures-B, B1-B9, B12, B13); W.P.No.8470/2023 (Annexures-B, B1-B10, B19); W.P.No.9669/2023 (Annexures-B, B2, B4, B5); W.P.No.11840/2023 (Annexures-B4 to B7); W.P.No.12249/2024 (dated 27.03.2024, Annexures-A to A41); W.P.No.13963/2024 (dated 27.03.2024, Annexures-A to A11); W.P.No.15584/2024 (dated 27.03.2024, Annexure-A21); W.P.No.19181/2024 (dated 27.03.2024, Annexures-A, A2-A5, A7); W.P.No.19639/2024 (order dated 04.07.2024, Annexure-A). Universities directed to issue show-cause notices and pass appropriate orders in accordance with law after considering replies to in-service petitioners: W.P.No.26147/2024 (P-2, P-4), 6729/2023 (P-10 to P-12), 8470/2023 (P-12 to P-19), 9669/2023 (P-2, P-4, P-7), 11840/2023 (P-1 to P-4), 12363/2024 (all petitioners), 13987/2024 (all petitioners), 15584/2024 (P-1 to P-21), 19181/2024 (P-2, P-7).