Court employees demanding money from accused 'unacceptable': Supreme Court
New Delhi(PTI): The Supreme Court has said that demanding money as illegal gratification while working in courts is "unacceptable" and very high standards apply to not only judges but also those employed there.
The apex court observed this while modifying the punishment given to a man, who was posted in a district court in Bihar and was dismissed from service on the charge of having demanded Rs 50,000 for acquittal of the accused in a case, to removal so that he may explore the possibility of another employment.
A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and C T Ravikumar was told by the counsel appearing for the appellant that for the last 24 years, the man had an unblemished service and this was the first allegation against him.
"You (appellant) were working in court and demanding money..., the bench observed, adding that the appellant had admitted his guilt.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by the man against the January 2020 order of a division bench of the Patna High Court which had dismissed his plea against the single judge bench verdict.
The single judge had in January 2018 refused to interfere with the punishment imposed upon the man, who was earlier posted in the office of a presiding officer of a court in Aurangabad.
During the arguments before the top court, the counsel appearing for the appellant said that the man was dismissed from service in 2014 and the punishment imposed upon him was extremely harsh.
Why do you say harsh? It is after inquiry, is it not? the bench observed. The counsel said the appellant was exonerated by the enquiry officer in the first inquiry.
He said later, a fresh departmental proceeding was directed to be initiated and the charges were held to be proved against him.
"The appellant has admitted his guilt. That is the finding, the bench observed, adding, If you admit your guilt, what else can be done, tell us.
When the appellant's counsel argued that if possible, the service be restored, the bench observed there is no question of reinstatement.
Working in court and demanding money, that is unacceptable, the bench orally said.
The bench noted that the appellant has been dismissed from service by way of penalty, having admitted his guilt to the charges levelled against him.
After hearing counsel for the parties and keeping in mind the past service record of the appellant, to which our attention was invited to, in our opinion, interest of justice would be subserved by modifying the punishment from dismissal to removal so that the appellant may be able to explore possibility of another employment elsewhere, the court said.
In its order, the division bench of the high court had noted that the man was proceeded against on the charge of having demanded Rs 50,000 for acquittal of the accused persons in a case.
It had noted that a preliminary enquiry was made and a report was submitted before the standing committee, which directed the District and Sessions Judge, Aurangabad, to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him.
The high court had also noted that after holding the enquiry, the District and Sessions Judge had submitted his report to the standing committee, which was considered and turned down by it with a direction to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the delinquent afresh in the high court.
In the second enquiry report, the charges were held to be established and proved against the man and accordingly, he was given the punishment of dismissal from service with immediate effect.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
