The judgment text is extensively corrupted (OCR noise); the overwhelming majority of paragraphs are illegible and no bench, case number, parties, advocates, holdings or operative order can be verified. The legible portions reproduce a Government of Haryana, Finance Department memorandum dated 20th January 2017, 'Regarding Recovery of Excess Payments/Amount Made to Government Employees and Other Recipients', addressed to all Heads of Departments, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners/SDOs(Civil) in Haryana and the Registrar, Punjab & Haryana High Court. The memorandum records that earlier instructions were issued pursuant to the Supreme Court decision in Civil Appeal No. 11527 of 2014, State of Punjab v. Rafiq Masih (White Washer), and were amended following the Supreme Court judgment dated 29.07.2016 in Civil Appeal No. 3500 of 2006, High Court of Punjab and Haryana v. Jagdev Singh. It lays down that recovery of excess payment may not be made from Class-III/Class-IV (Group C/D) employees, from retired employees or those due to retire within one year, where excess payment was made for a period exceeding five years, where an employee wrongfully discharged duties of a higher post, or where recovery would be iniquitous, harsh or arbitrary; it carves out an exception where the recipient was placed on notice and furnished an undertaking, and excludes protection where the excess payment resulted from misrepresentation or fraud. Because the court's own reasoning and disposition are illegible, nothing in this record should be treated as a holding of this court.
