9911796707
TMI Blog1966 (2) TMI 74X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... The contention of the petitioners is that this system has resulted in discriminatory treatment against them with the consequence that promotees of much longer service in the cadre of Appraisers are put in the seniority list below direct recruits with much shorter service. This, according to the petitioners, offends against equality of opportunity guaranteed under Art. 16(1) of the Constitution. That is one grievance of the petitioners. The other grievance of the petitioners is that in the cadre of Principal Appraisers who are all promoted from Appraisers, there is again discrimination and violation of equality of opportunity inasmuch as the same method is followed in the matter of fixation of seniority of Principal Appraisers, though in this case there is only one source of recruitment i.e., by promotion from the cadre of Appraisers. The petitioners therefore pray that the seniority list prepared in 1963 should be struck down as violative of Art. 16(1) and directions be issued to prepare a fresh seniority list for the cadre of Appraisers. They further pray that in the matter of appointment of Principal Appraisers, the system at present being followed in the matter of seniority sho ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ar for the determination of relative seniority of candidates appointed by direct recruitment and by promotion. In that circular it was stated that "where in a department two permanent or quasi permanent vacancies occur, even simultaneously, and the first vacancy is in accordance with the rotation meant for a direct recruit, the direct recruit will rank in seniority above the promotee even though he joined his post after the promotee had been promoted and confirmed". Reliance has been placed on behalf of the Union on this circular in the matter of fixation of seniority between direct recruits and promotees in a cadre in which rotational system prevails. The petitioners however rely in reply on a circular issued in June 1949. That circular dealt with the seniority of displaced government servants who had been absorbed temporarily in service under the Central Government. The occasion for that circular was the division of India, and the creation of Pakistan resulting in displacement of a large number of public servants from the area which went to Pakistan. 'That circular provided for a change in the system due to displaced government servants having in most cases lost all their pro ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... pectively but were given effect to from the date of their issue, subject to certain reservations with which we are not concerned. One of the principles in this circular of 1959 is with respect to relative seniority of direct recruits and promotees. It provides that relative seniority of direct recruits and promotees shall be determined according to the rotation of vacancies between direct recruits and promotees which shall be based on the quota of reservation for direct recruitment and promotion respectively in the recruitment rules. It was further explained that a roster should be maintained based on the reservation for direct recruitment and promotion in the recruitment rules. Where, for example, the reservation for each method is 50 per cent, the roster will run as follows-(1) promotion, (2) direct recruitment, (3) promotion, (4) direct recruitment, and so on. Appointments should be made in accordance with this roster and seniority determined accordingly. A question has been raised whether the circular of 1940 to which we have already referred survived after this circular of 1959; but in our opinion it is unnecessary to decide that question, for the circular of 1959 itself lays ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... he roster, which has also been specified, namely, one promotee followed by one direct recruit and so on. Where therefore recruitment to a cadre is from two sources, namely, direct recruits and promotees and rotational system is in force, seniority has to be fixed as provided in the explanation by alternately fixing a promotee and a direct recruit in the seniority list. We do not see any violation of the principle of equality of opportunity enshrined in Art. 16(1) by following the rotational system of fixing seniority in a cadre half of which consists of direct recruits and the other half of promotees, and the rotational system by itself working in this way cannot be said to deny equality of opportunity in govern ment service. The anomalies which have been referred to in the petition arise not on account of there being anything opposed to equality of opportunity in government service by the use of the rotational system; they arise out of the fortuitous circumstance that in this particular service of Appraisers, for one reason or another, direct recruitment has fallen short of the quota fixed for it. It is merely because of this fortuitous circumstance that anomalies to which referen ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ticular service is divided into two parts and there is no question of carrying anything forward from year to year in the matter of annual intake. The basis on which the carry- forward rule was struck down by this Court does not therefore apply to a case where the whole cadre of a service is divided in certain fixed proportions between promotees and direct recruits. The petitioners therefore can get no assistance from Devdasan's case.(1) The petition must therefore fail so far as seniority of Appraisers is concerned. This brings us to the question of Principal Appraisers. We are of opinion that the petitioners have a legitimate grievance in this respect. The source of recruitment of Principal Appraisers is one, namely, from the grade of Appraisers. There is therefore no question of any quota being reserved from two sources in their cases. The rotational system cannot therefore apply when there is only one source of recruitment and not two sources of recruitment. In a case therefore where there is only one source of recruitment, the normal rule will apply, namely, that a person promoted to a higher grade gets his seniority in that grade according to the date of promotion subject ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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