Government officers are required to act within the standards of conduct prescribed in their respective manuals. The decorum which is to be maintained is quiet often of high standards in the wake of national prestige resting upon the actions of these personnel. In this wake it is not unoften that we come across discharge of a government officer on account of misconduct. However what is misconduct is quiet often left undefined. It might be a simple breach of a rule or may be violation of the spirit rather than the letter.
In a recently reported decision [2010 (171) DLT 556] a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has explained the meaning underlying "misconduct" as quiet often used in governmental quarters and has also clarified its ambit. While reflecting that the term would have to be examined in the context of the particular service one was referring, the High Court indeed laid out the generic scheme underlying the concept.
The High Court inter alia observed as under;
