Allahabad High Court, in Dharvendra Pal Singh vs. State of U.P. and Others (WA No. 9632/2025), held that a punishment order cannot be declared invalid merely because it does not reproduce all details of the show cause notice or the employee’s reply, so long as the substance of both has been duly considered and discussed in the order. The Court observed that minor procedural lapses or omissions in format do not vitiate disciplinary proceedings unless there is a manifest procedural irregularity or clear illegality. Emphasising the doctrine of substantial compliance, the Court stated that “justice is not a slave to format, but a servant of truth”, and that orders must be assessed on substance rather than form. The Court further noted that the employee had not objected to the non-inclusion of the show cause notice in the punishment order and failed to prove any miscarriage of justice caused by such omissions. As the punishment order reflected due application of mind regarding all relevant issues and demonstrated no miscarriage of justice, the Court upheld its validity.
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