Vishwanath vs Union Of India & Ors

The Supreme Court held that the punishment of removal from service imposed on the appellant, a member of the Railway Police Force, was shockingly disproportionate to his misconduct, especially when a colleague involved in the same incident received a lesser penalty. The Court emphasized that the appellant acted under grave provocation when he slapped his colleague, who had made derogatory remarks about his wife. Consequently, the Court set aside the removal and substituted it with a penalty of withholding of increment for three years, without back wages, thereby ensuring a more equitable outcome under the circumstances.