(AI image) The Allahabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal dismissed Priya Ranjan Kumar’s challenge to his transfer order.
The CAT’s Allahabad Bench passed the order while dismissing the application filed by Kumar, an employee of North Central Railway (NCR), who had challenged his transfer order dated July 25, 2025, whereby he was transferred from Prayagraj to Fatehpur. As per the averments made in his application, Kumar had availed three days of leave from July 14 to July 16, 2025, to visit his native village. However, when Kumar returned to duty on July 21, he was suspended. A disciplinary chargesheet was subsequently issued on July 31.
Dismissing an original application filed by Priya Ranjan Kumar, judicial member Rajnish Kumar Rai observed: “The applicant’s reliance upon the WhatsApp response ‘OK’, therefore, cannot by itself be treated as conclusive proof of sanction of leave by the competent authority. PRAYAGRAJ: While dismissing a railway employee’s challenge to his transfer from Prayagraj to Fatehpur, the Allahabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has held that an officer’s response of ‘OK’ to a leave request on WhatsApp cannot be treated as conclusive proof that the leave was sanctioned by the competent authority. He subsequently sought an extension of leave for two days through WhatsApp. He claimed that senior divisional commercial manager Himanshu Shukla approved the request by replying ‘OK’ to his WhatsApp message. Four days later, he was transferred to Fatehpur.
Accordingly, the CAT bench dismissed his application by an order dated Oct 7. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Varanasi | Silver Rate in Varanasi | Bank Holidays in Varanasi | Public Holidays in Varanasi | Varanasi AQI | Weather in Varanasi | Petrol Price in Varanasi | Diesel Price in Varanasi | CNG Price in Varanasi | LPG Price in Varanasi Stay updated with the latest Varanasi news. During the hearing, counsel for Kumar argued that his transfer was not a routine administrative decision but a punitive measure connected to the dispute over his leave. The Railways opposed the application, submitting that the transfer was necessitated by the development of a new entry and booking office at Fatehpur Railway Station. After hearing both sides, the tribunal accepted the Railways’ explanation and held that the WhatsApp response did not establish that the competent authority had sanctioned the leave. Referring to the Supreme Court’s decision in Somesh Tiwari v. Union of India, the tribunal reiterated that transfers made as a substitute for punishment are legally unsustainable. However, it found that the Railways had demonstrated an independent administrative justification for Kumar’s transfer. In view of this, the tribunal concluded that Kumar had failed to establish mala fides or punitive intent behind the transfer. Download the TOI App.