"Research shows that criminality is bred if a person who commits minor offence is ostracised by society and is denied public employment," said a bench of justices Pardeep Nandrajog and Manomohan Singh, while asking Central Reserved Police Force to reinstate Constable Neetu Mishra within six weeks, but without the pay for the period she was out of job.
"We allow the plea and quash the CRPF order terminating petitioner's (Mishra) service, and require her to be reinstated forthwith," said the court, imposing a deadline of six weeks for her restoring her employment.
The court gave the order, relying on one of its rulings of 2010 and said, "The decision highlights that petty offences and especially the ones which are non-cognisable have to be treated in a separate category with respect to the offenders."
The bench was hearing Mishra's plea challenging the CRPF's March 2011 order by which she was sacked a year after she joined the force. She was sacked on the ground that she had concealed her involvement in a minor offence of causing minor injury (under section 323 of IPC) while filling the employment form in 2010. (More)