SURYANATH PANDEY Vs. STATE OF JHARKHAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) IN this writ petition, the petitioner has prayed for issuance of an appropriate writ commanding upon the respondents to pay the salary of the petitioner from August, 2007 till January, 2008 with interest at the rate of 12% p.a. from the date the petitioner was entitled to till the date of payment, and to pay the current salary which has been withheld by the respondents on the ground that the petitioner has not submitted the concerned site accounts (sthal lekha). Further prayer has been made to declare and hold that the duties of the store keeper is confined only to the custody, preservation and issue of stores under his authority and to keep the required returns relating to them as stipulated in para 285 of the Public Works Department (PWD) Code and that the storekeeper is not required to submit the site account (sthallekha).

(2.) THE petitioner is employed as a storekeeper since 1994 and he is presently posted as such in the Divisional Stores, Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Swarnrekha Sub -Division, Ranchi.

(3.) IN response to the above letters, the petitioner filed his representation on 22.8.2007 expressing his inability to produce the demanded site account and stating that it was not within the domain of his jurisdiction. In spite of his representation, payment of salary to the petitioner was stopped from August, 2007 only on the ground that he had failed to comply with the orders of the superiors.