### Appellate Authority Directed to Dispose of Pending Statutory Appeal Against Compulsory Retirement Within Stipulated Period

The applicant, a Helper (Electrical TRD) in the Eastern Railway, was served a major penalty charge sheet on February 17, 2025.

On October 22, 2025, the Disciplinary Authority issued a Punishment Notice imposing "compulsory retirement".

The applicant alleges that this punishment was imposed without providing an Inquiry Report or an opportunity to be heard.

The applicant preferred a statutory appeal to the Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer on January 2, 2026, which remained pending at the time of filing this Original Application (O.A.).

1. Whether the Appellate Authority should be directed to decide the pending appeal dated January 2, 2026, within a specific timeframe.

Section 19 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, which empowers the Tribunal to adjudicate disputes regarding the service matters of Union employees.

The principle of administrative justice and exhaustion of alternative remedies, implying that a statutory Appellate Authority is duty-bound to dispose of appeals through reasoned and speaking orders.

The Tribunal noted that the applicant’s primary grievance, at this stage, was the inaction of the Appellate Authority regarding his appeal against the compulsory retirement order.

Without delving into the merits of the allegations regarding the lack of an Inquiry Report, the Tribunal observed that the applicant made an "innocuous prayer" for the disposal of the pending appeal.

Since the respondents expressed no objection to such a direction, the Tribunal found it appropriate to streamline the administrative process by mandating a time-bound decision.

It directed the Appellate Authority to take a decision on the applicant's appeal dated January 2, 2026, and communicate the same via a reasoned and speaking order within four weeks from the date of receipt of the court’s order.

The Tribunal explicitly stated it did not observe anything on the merits of the case, and no order as to costs was made.