The workman was working as a Helper at the relevant point of time with Shadnagar Depot of APSRTC. It appears, he had been entrusted with the task of getting two vehicles belonging to the Corporation bearing Registration Nos. AP 10Z 4162 and AP 10Z 4164 to the Regional Transport Office, Mahaboobnagar on 08.12.2000 and 19.12.2000 respectively for securing fitness certificates for the said vehicles. It is alleged that in the process of getting the vehicles for examination of the Motor Vehicles Inspector at the RTO’s Office, the workman is said to have replaced four good wheel discs of the buses and fitted them with old and least serviceable discs. Thus, suspecting the integrity of the workman, he has been placed under suspension initially and disciplinary action has been initiated against him subsequently, based upon the preliminary finding. During the course of enquiry, though several witnesses have been examined, no one has spoken to, as a matter of fact, that it is the workman, who has replaced the wheel discs of the two buses entrusted to him for securing the fitness certificate from the RTO’s Office with old and unserviceable wheel discs. Based upon the conjectures, the Enquiry Officer held the workman guilty and on that basis, the competent authority passed the order on 25.08.2001, terminating his services, as a measure of punishment. It is against this order of termination, an Industrial Dispute was raised by the workman, but however, during the pendency of the
