The Haryana government Friday informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it has withdrawn an order by which it had terminated the services of an assistant technical manager in the Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare. Keshav Kumar was terminated from service on charges of allegedly spreading hysteria against Sikh religion and the government on Facebook.
Kumar, who had been employed on contractual basis at Fatehabad, had challenged the termination order in the high court,
The termination order said that Kumar had tried to spread religious hysteria against the Sikh community and the government with a post on Facebook. On August 4, 2019, an FIR was registered against Kumar at City police station on the complaint of chairman, Gurudwara Singh Sabha, Fatehabad. His services were terminated on the directions of deputy commissioner-cum-chairman, ATMA,
Fatehabad with effect from August 4, 2019. The high court had quashed the FIR that same year.
Kumar, through his counsel, contended that the termination order has been passed without holding any departmental enquiry or granting opportunity to him.
The high court had issued a notice to the state government and director, Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Haryana, seeking their explanation.
Submitting the reply, Vijay Singh Dahiya, Director, Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, informed the court that he has taken a decision to withdraw the order. However, he submitted that the state should not be burdened with wages for the period the petitioner has not worked.
Advocate Anurag Goyal, for the petitioner, also submitted that the Kumar will not press for payment of back wages.
