REGIONAL MANAGER,U.P.S.R.T.C ETAWAH vs HOTI LAL . — C.A. No. 5984/2000

SUMMARY The Supreme Court allowed the employer's appeal and restored the dismissal of bus conductor Hoti Lal. Lal was found carrying ticketless passengers and possessing old tickets during an inspection in 1988, constituting serious misconduct in a fiduciary position involving public money. While the High Court's Division Bench had set aside his dismissal as disproportionate without providing reasons, the Supreme Court held that courts can only interfere with punishment in rare, exceptional cases meeting strict standards (Wednesbury rationality), and that the High Court erred in reducing the penalty without proper justification or recorded reasoning. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.