STATE OF PUNJAB vs BALWINDER SINGH

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, affirming that the dismissal of the respondent from service was invalid as it was executed by an authority not competent to do so. The Court emphasized that according to the Punjab Police Rules, only the Deputy Inspector General of Police, who had promoted the respondent, had the authority to dismiss him. The Court ruled that the dismissal order was in violation of service rules and principles of natural justice, thus maintaining the lower courts' decisions in favor of the respondent.