--- 📌 Brief Summary of the Judgment (CAT Cuttack Bench, Order dated 17-11-2025) What it is about: Multiple GDS officials filed cases becau...
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📌 Brief Summary of the Judgment (CAT Cuttack Bench, Order dated 17-11-2025)
What it is about:
Multiple GDS officials filed cases because the Department issued major penalty charge sheets against them for participating in a strike from 12–12–2023 to 15–12–2023.
What the Tribunal found:
The charge sheets accused them of misconduct like “incitement, violence, sabotage,” but no such allegation was actually mentioned or proved.
The only real allegation was that they participated in strike and were absent.
As per Rule 23 of GDS Rules, disciplinary action can happen only if there is incitement, violence, sabotage, etc.
But none of these elements were present in the charge sheets.
Some allegations like “instigating other GDS through social media” were vague and without specifics.
The Department did not show that the strike was illegal.
The Tribunal said issuing such charge sheets causes unnecessary harassment, and courts can interfere when charges are vague, mala fide, or unsupported.
Final decision:
All the charge sheets were quashed.
All the IO/PO appointments were cancelled.
Tribunal made it clear that this relief applies only to the applicants.
Conclusion:
The CAT held that the Department cannot charge GDSs with major penalties for merely participating in a strike unless there is clear proof of violence/incitement, which was not present.
So the Tribunal gave relief and cancelled all the charge sheets.
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