UKHC010117132026 2026:UHC:5551 1 HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL Writ Petition Service Single No. 1744 of 2026 08 July, 2026 Devendra Singh Rana --Petitioner Versus State Of Uttarakhand & others --Respondents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Presence:- Mr. Bhupendra Singh Bora, learned counsel for the petitioner. Mr. K.N. Joshi, learned Deputy Advocate General for the State. Mr. Rajendra Arya, learned counsel holding brief of Mr. Neeraj Garg, learned counsel for respondent no.3-UPNL. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hon’ble Pankaj Purohit, J. Petitioner was engaged as a Driver through UPNL with respondent no.2 in the year 2018. The services of the petitioner were disengaged as a Driver from the respondent-Police Department on the serious allegation of misbehaving with Km. Bhavna Rawat and her family members on 22.07.2023 at night after consuming liquor, vide order dated 27.07.2023, which is reflected in the order terminating the services of the petitioner. 2. Petitioner has now moved this Court by filing the present writ petition for the following prayers:- “(i) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of certiorari quashing the impugned order dated 27.07.2023 passed by respondent no.2 (S.S.P. Almora) whereby the services of the petitioner have been terminated, being arbitrary, illegal, voilative of the principles of natural justice and unsustainable in the eyes of law. (Annexure No.1 page no.14 to this writ petition). (ii) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus commanding the respondents to reinstate the petitioner in service forthwith, with all consequential benefits as may be found admissible in law. (iii) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus UKHC010117132026 2026:UHC:5551 2 commanding the respondents to consider and decide the representation of the petitioner dated 03.07.2026 in accordance with law, within a stipulated period as may be fixed by this Hon’ble Court. (Annexure Nos.5 & 6 page no.21-24) to this writ petition.” 3. Since allegations contained in the order dated 27.07.2023 have not been inquired into by the respondent-department and, straightway, petitioner was disengaged, appears to be in violation of the principles of natural justice. 4. In such view of the matter, interference only to this extent is made that petitioner may file a representation to respondent no.2 within a period of two weeks from today requesting him to forward the name of the petitioner to respondent no.3-UPNL for re-engagement of the petitioner as a Driver with the Police Department. If such representation is moved by the petitioner within two weeks, as stated above, the said representation shall be decided by respondent no.2 sympathetically by a reasoned and speaking order, keeping in view that the allegations levelled against the petitioner were not inquired into and the principles of natural justice were not followed while disengaging the petitioner in the earlier occasion, within a period of eight weeks from the date of receipt of such representation filed by the petitioner. 5. The writ petition is accordingly disposed of finally. 6. Pending applications, if any, stand disposed of accordingly. (Pankaj Purohit, J.) 08.07.2026 AK AVNEE T KAUR Digitally signed by AVNEET KAUR DN: c=IN, o=HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND, ou=HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND, 2.5.4.20=a82175252dc1a0f53f0e245a1c11df9aa490cfd140 3838bf52f9acab4cc3a5b9, postalCode=263001, st=UTTARAKHAND, serialNumber=5BEC18DADE54688668187E4D722C2EDBF DAF35AB2F676A551481BE62508FDDEE, cn=AVNEET KAUR Date: 2026.07.08 16:13:12 +05'30'