The Karnataka High Court has delivered a final blow to a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) conductor's two-decade-long legal battle, firmly upholding his dismissal from service for manipulating ticket sales and cheating passengers.
A Case of Ticket Pilferage Unravels
The incident that triggered the prolonged dispute occurred on December 29, 2004. BMTC's checking staff intercepted a bus and discovered several financial irregularities committed by the conductor, Narayanappa. The investigation revealed a pattern of deliberate fraud.
Officials found that Narayanappa had collected Rs 2 from a passenger by reissuing a ticket worth Rs 6 that had already been sold earlier at the Ejipura stop. Furthermore, he reissued tickets of Rs 4 denomination—which were also previously sold—to four different passengers travelling between Town Hall and Majestic (Kempegowda bus stand).
In a more blatant act, checks confirmed that three other passengers on the same route were neither issued tickets nor charged any fare, suggesting a clear intent to pocket the money.
Disciplinary Process and Legal Challenges
The checking team compiled a detailed report after recording statements from passengers, collecting penalties from those without tickets, and seizing unpunched tickets. While Narayanappa refused to sign documents related to the reissued tickets, he did endorse the penalty receipts given to ticketless travellers.
This led to disciplinary proceedings. Following an inquiry, on May 31, 2006, Narayanappa was penalized with a cut of two annual increments. Unwilling to accept the punishment, he challenged it before the Industrial Tribunal in Bengaluru. The tribunal upheld the finding that misconduct was proven, but the case was later remanded to it by the High Court for fresh consideration.
In a surprising turn in 2014, the tribunal quashed the punishment order. This decision prompted the BMTC to approach the High Court to challenge the tribunal's ruling.
High Court's Stern Verdict on Corruption
Justice Jyoti M, hearing the BMTC's plea, allowed the corporation's appeal and strongly criticized the tribunal's intervention. The court ruled that the tribunal had no jurisdiction to interfere with or dilute the penalty for a proven charge of pilferage, emphasizing the gravity of the misconduct.
"The Tribunal could not mitigate the penalty for the established misconduct of pilferage by exercising its statutory discretion. The exercise of discretionary power by the Tribunal in condoning a proven case of pilferage is irrational and perverse. Therefore, I would not hesitate to set aside the award," Justice Jyoti M observed.
The High Court restored the original penalty of a cut in two increments, effectively upholding the view that such acts of corruption by public transport employees warrant strict action, including termination.
In Related News: KSRTC Announces Fare Cuts
In a separate but related development for Karnataka's commuters, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has announced a reduction in fares for its premier bus services. From Monday, fares on select long-distance routes were cut by 5% to 15%.
This discount, offered during the off-season, is expected to remain until March. A KSRTC official stated that original fares will be restored after March. The discount applies to nearly 700 premium services.
The fare revision covers several premium categories including:
- Rajahamsa
- Non-AC sleeper
- Airavat & Airavat Club Class
- AC sleeper & Multi-axle AC sleeper
Key routes with reduced fares include Bengaluru to Mangaluru, Udupi, Manipal, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Shirdi, and Mumbai. For instance, the Bengaluru-Mumbai AC sleeper fare has been reduced from Rs 2,500 to Rs 2,000, while the Bengaluru-Manipal AC sleeper (Ambari Utsav) fare is down from Rs 1,620 to Rs 1,450.
