Supreme Court Backs Employee Dismissals on Probable Grounds

The Supreme Court ruled that public employers only need to prove misconduct by 'preponderance of probabilities' in disciplinary proceedings, a lower standard than 'beyond a reasonable doubt' in criminal trials. This decision supported AAI's dismissal of Pradip Kumar Banerjee despite his acquittal in a criminal case.

The Supreme Court has underlined that public employers are required to demonstrate misconduct by 'preponderance of probabilities' in disciplinary actions, a less stringent standard than 'beyond a reasonable doubt' used in criminal proceedings.

A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Sandeep Mehta set aside a 2012 Calcutta High Court judgment, reaffirming the dismissal of Pradip Kumar Banerjee, a former Airports Authority of India assistant engineer, despite his acquittal in a related criminal case.

This landmark ruling empowers public employers to dismiss employees more easily in disciplinary proceedings, even if they are acquitted of criminal charges, emphasizing the different standards of proof required in civil and criminal cases.