- (1.) The petitioner was a member of disciplined force being Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police. She has filed the instant petition under Article 226 of the Constitution praying for quashing order dated 18.5.2005 (P-3), passed by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Rupnagar-respondent No. 5 dismissing her from service in pursuance to a departmental inquiry in which she has been found guilty of the charge that she had taken Rs. 8,00,000/- from Gurjit Singh son of Bahadur Singh, resident of Boodri, District Ludhiana and gave that amount to Ravinder Singh Gulati, for sending Gurjit Singh to America in connivance with her husband Sukhdev Singh alias Sukha, Ravinder Singh Gulati, Preeti Gulati and Manjit Singh. Order dated 15.12.2005 (P-5), passed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ludhiana Range, Ludhiana-respondent No. 4 as well as order dated 8.5.2006, passed by the Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Zone, Jalandhar-respondent No. 3 (P-7) are also subject matter of challenge in the instant petition, wherein the order dated 18.5.2005 (P-)) has been upheld maintaining the dismissal of the petitioner. A further prayer has been made for quashing orders dated 28.8.200 7 (P-9) and 9.5.2008 (P-12) whereby mercy petition and subsequent representation made by the petitioner have been dismissed being not maintainable under the Punjab Police Rules, 1934. Still further, a prayer has been made for directing the respondents to reinstate the petitioner with all consequential benefits.
(2.) Brief facts may first be noticed. On 10.6.1985, the petitioner was appointed as Lady Constable in Punjab Police. She was promoted as ASI (ORP) in the year 1989 and promoted as such on regular basis in 2002 after having passed Intermediate School Course in October, 2001.
(3.) An FIR No. 81, dated 16.12.2003, under Sections 406/420/120B IPC read with 13(i)(d) and Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, was registered at Police Station, Vigilance Bureau, Ludhiana, against the petitioner, her husband and four others, with the allegation that they took Rs. 8,00,000/- from Gurjit Singh for sending him to United States of America. On 10.3.2004, departmental proceedings were initiated against the petitioner and a charge-sheet on the same allegation was issued to her.;