V. SRIDHARAN NAIR vs STATE OF KERALA & ORS.

The Supreme Court held that the termination of the petitioner's lien under Rule 24 of the Kerala Civil Service (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1960 was improper as it failed to comply with the procedural requirements mandated by Rule 19(a), which protects an officer's lien from termination without ensuring they are not left without a lien on a permanent post. The Court emphasized that the department must provide clear findings of continuous absence and special circumstances to justify such termination. Consequently, the Court allowed the writ petition, reinstating the petitioner's lien.