Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC:32258 Court No. - 5 Case :- WRIT - A No. - 18853 of 2024 Petitioner :- Sanjay Gupta Respondent :- Up State Road Transport Corporation At Lucknow And 2 Others Counsel for Petitioner :- Bhawesh Pratap Singh Counsel for Respondent :- Sheo Ram Singh Hon'ble Ajay Bhanot,J. Heard Shri Bhawesh Pratap Singh, learned counsel for the petitioner and Shri Sheo Ram Singh, learned counsel for the respondent. The petitioner is a contractual employee. The services of the petitioner have been terminated on the ground of misconduct allegedly committed by the petitioner. It is admitted that no enquiry was held to establish the charges against the petitioner as per applicable standards of evidence. A stigmatic order of termination has to be preceded by a regular departmental enquiry. In this wake the impugned order dated 16.10.2024 is liable to be set aside and is set aside. The matter is remitted to the respondent no. 3 with the following directions: I. The respondent no. 3 shall cause an enquiry to be initiated against the petitioner. II. The enquiry proceedings shall be completed as per law within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order. III. The petitioner is directed to cooperate in the enquiry proceedings. IV. The petitioner shall be reinstated in service pursuant to this order. Thereafter he may be suspended to the aid of the aforesaid enquiry. All other benefits shall be subject to the result of the said enquiry and determined thereafter. The writ petition is allowed. Order Date :- 6.3.2025 Dhananjai Digitally signed by :- DHANANJAI High Court of Judicature at Allahabad