Important Legal Definitions

The principle that while there is no absolute common law right to be represented by an advocate in domestic departmental inquiries, denying legal representation when the prosecution is represented by a legally trained officer violates natural justice.

In Board of Trustees of the Port of Bombay v. Dilipkumar Raghavendranath Nadkarni, the Supreme Court held that where the employer engages a legally trained presenting officer, denying the delinquent employee the assistance of an advocate amounts to a denial of reasonable opportunity under Article 14.