ticket consisted of 4 slips of tickets of Rs.100/-, Rs.50/-, Rs.20/- and Rs.4/-. But the petitioner did not punch ticket slips of denomination of Rs.100/- each issued to batch of three passengers. Meanwhile there was check of the bus by the checking staff and they notice nonpunching of the tickets by the petitioner to the tune of Rs.100/- each. In the spot explanation, the conductor stated that he could not understand Marathi language in which the passengers were speaking and that passengers could not understand his Telugu and that there was some confusion in which he could not punch those ticket slips of Rs.100/each. Thus, there is no dispute on the part of the petitioner that he did not punch three tickets of the denomination of Rs.100/- each. Even though three tickets of Rs.100/- each were not punched, issuance of those three tickets was noted in the statistical return maintained by the petitioner in the bus. The enquiry officer from the fact of non-punching of tickets, came to the conclusion that there is possibility of re-issuing the said tickets to other passengers while the conductor collecting those tickets from the disembarking passengers at their destination after correcting figures in the statistical return. Therefore, in the domestic enquiry the petitioner was found guilty and consequently his services were terminated by the Management. The said termination order, when questioned by the petitioner, was confirmed by the Labour Court in the impugned award.
