The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ruled that departmental disciplinary action against government employees caught in bribery cases can proceed even if the related criminal cases are still pending.
The court passed the order while hearing petitions filed by government employees Sunitha Akilin Mabel, Etturaj, Ganesamoorthy and Ravichandran, who challenged their suspension orders after being allegedly caught red-handed on bribery complaints and booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Justice P. Pugazhendi observed that keeping employees under suspension for years without promptly initiating departmental proceedings allows them to draw subsistence allowance from public funds without doing any work, reflecting administrative inefficiency.
The judge noted that criminal cases require charges to be proved beyond reasonable doubt, whereas departmental enquiries can determine misconduct based on available materials and impose punishment. Therefore, disciplinary proceedings need not wait for the criminal court’s verdict.
The court further said swift action against employees who violate conduct rules and engage in corruption would create deterrence among officials, and suggested that the government should make necessary amendments to employee conduct rules to ensure a corruption-free administration.
