Imposition of penalties on municipal officers and servants.

(1) A competent authority may subject to the provisions of this Act impose any of the penalties specified in sub-section (2) on a municipal officer or servant if such authority is satisfied that such officer or servant is guilty of a breach of departmental rules or discipline or of carelessness, neglect of duty or other misconduct or is incompetent: Provided that— (a) no municipal officer or servant whose monthly salary, exclusive of allowances, 1[exceeds such amount as may be fixed in this behalf, by a general or special order, by the State Government in the case of each Corporation] shall be dismissed by the Commisioner without the previous approval of the Standing Committee; (b) any officer appointed by the Corporation excepting the Transport Manager may be suspended by the Standing Committee pending an order of the Corporation, such suspension and the reason therefore being forthwith reported to the Corpora­tion; (c) the Commissioner may impose any of the penalties specified in clauses (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of sub-section (2) on any officer appointed by the Corporation other than the Transport Manager or any officer appointed under section 45; (d) the Municipal Chief Auditor and the Municipal Secretary may impose any of the penalties specified in clauses (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of sub-section (2) on any officer or servant immediately subordinate to them and drawing a monthly slalry 2[not exceeding such amount as may be fixed by the State Government, by a genleral or special order, from time to time in case of each Corportation] subject to a right of appeal to the Standing Comittee and the Standing Committee may impose any other penalty on any such officer or servant and may also impose any penalty on any other officer or servant immediately subordinate to the Municipal Chief Auditor or the Municipal Secretary. (2) The penalties which may be imposed under this section are the following, namely: — (a) censure; (b) with-holding of increments or promotion including stoppage at an efficiency bar; (c) reduction to a lower post or time-scale, or to a lower stage in a time-scale; (d) fine; (e) recovery from salary of the whole or part of any pecuniary loss caused to the Corporation; (f) suspension; (g) removal from municipal service which does not disqualify from future employment; (h) dismissal from municipal service which ordinarily disqualifies from future employment. (3) No officer or servant shall be reduced to a lower post or removed or dismissed from service under this section unless he has been given a reasonable opportunity of showing cause against such reduction, removal or dismissal: Provided that this sub-section shall not apply— (a) where a person is reduced, removed or dismissed on the ground of conduct which has led to his conviction on a criminal charge; or (b) where the competent authority is satisfied that, for reasons to be recorded in writing by such authority, it is not reasonably practicable to give that person an opportunity or showing cause. (4) Subject to the provisions of clause (d) of the proviso to sub-section (1), any municipal officer or servant who is reduced, removed or dismissed by any authority other than the Corporation may, within one month of the communication to him of the order of reduction, removal or dismissal, appeal to the authority immediately superior to the authority which imposed the penalty and the appellate authority may, obtaining the remarks of the authority which imposed the penalty, either confirm the order passed or substitute for it such order as it considers just, including an order for the imposition of some lesser penalty, and effect shall forthwith be given to any order passed by the appellate authority which shall be conclusive: Provided that for the purposes of this sub-section the Standing Committee shall be deemed to be the authority immediately superior to the Commissioner and the Corporation shall be deemed to be the authority immediately superior to the Standing Committee. (5) With reference to officers and servants appointed under Chapter XX the provivi­ons of this section shall apply as if for the word “Commissioner” the words “Transport Manager” and for the words “Standing Committee” the words “Transport Committee” had been substituted. Explanation.—(1) For the purposes of this section a competent authority is the authority which under the provisions of this Act is competent to make the appointment to the post held by the particular municipal officer or servant. (2) The monthly salary which would ordinarily be admissible to a municipal officer or servant on the date immediately preceding the date of the order imposing a penalty shall be deemed to be his salary for the purposes of the provison to sub-sections (1). Leave of absence, acting appointments, etc.