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TMI Blog2005 (11) TMI 506X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... to the employees of the Nigam. In our view, the only option for the Nigam was to make suitable amendment in Regulation 31 with the previous approval of the State Government providing thereunder age of superannuation of its employees to be 58 years, in case, it intended that 60 years which was the enhanced age of superannuation of the State Government employees should not be made applicable to employees of the Nigam. It was also not possible for the State Government to give a direction purporting to Act u/s 89 of the Act to the effect that the enhanced age of 60 years would not be applicable to the employees of the Nigam treating the same to be a matter of policy nor it was permissible for the Nigam on the basis of such a direction of the State Government in policy matter of the Nigam to take an administrative decision acting u/s 15(1) of the Act as the same would be inconsistent with Regulation 31 which was framed by the Nigam in the exercise of powers conferred upon it u/s 97(2)(c) of the Act. Thus, we are of the view that so long Regulation 31 of the Regulations is not amended, 60 years which is the age of superannuation of government servants employed under the State of Uttar P ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... e a corporation by the name of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam pursuant to which a notification was issued establishing the same with effect from 18th June, 1975. From the date of the establishment of the Nigam, which is the appointed date as enumerated in Section 31 of the Act, all properties and assets which immediately before the appointed date were vested in the State Government for the purposes of Local Self Government Engineering Department shall vest in and stand transferred to the Nigam and all rights, liabilities and obligations of the State Government pertaining to the said Department shall be the rights, liabilities and obligations of the Nigam. Under Section 37 of the Act, every person who was employed in the Local Self Government Engineering Department of the State of Uttar Pradesh shall on and from the appointed date, i.e., 18th June, 1975 would become employee of the Nigam and shall hold his office or service therein by the same tenure, at the same remuneration and upon same other terms and conditions and with the same rights and privileges as to pension, gratuity and other matters as he would have held the same on the appointed date if this Act had not come into force a ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ting thereunder that the public sector undertakings should not give the benefit of extension of age as provided to the government servants under Rule 56(a) of the Rules without the permission of the State Government. On 28th November, 2001, the State Government issued a notification notifying thereunder approval of the Governor for increasing the age of superannuation of government servants from 58 years to 60 years in public interest and steps were required to be taken for making suitable amendment in Rule 56(a) of the Rules, pursuant to which Rules were amended by Uttar Pradesh Fundamental (Amendment) Rules, 2002 by notification dated 27th June, 2002 which came into force with effect from 28th November, 2001 and thereunder the age of retirement of government servants was enhanced from 58 years to 60 years. In the meantime, after the issuance of notification dated 28th November, 2001, on behalf of Nigam a letter was written to the State Government on 31st December, 2001 making inquiry thereunder as to whether enhancement in the age of superannuation from 58 years to 60 years would be applicable to the employees of Nigam and in reply thereto, on 22nd January, 2002, Special Secretar ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... wer shall include the power (i) to inspect all water supply and sewerage facilities in the State by whomsoever they are operated; (ii) to obtain such periodic or specific information from any local body and operating agency as it may deem necessary; (iii) to provide training for its own personnel as well as employees of the local bodies; (iv) to prepare and carry out schemes for water supply and sewerage; (v) to lay down the schedule of fees for all services rendered by the Nigam to the State Government, local bodies, institutions or individuals; (vi) to enter into contract or agreement with any person, firm or institution, as the Nigam may deem necessary, for performing its functions under this Act; (vii) to adopt its own budget annually; (viii) to approve tariffs for water supply and sewerage services applicable to respective local areas comprised within the jurisdiction of Jal Sansthans and such local bodies as have entered into an agreement with the Nigam under Section 46; (ix) to borrow money, issue debentures to obtain subventions and grants and manage its own funds; (x) to disburse loans to local bodies for their water supply and sewerage schemes; (xi) to incur expenditure a ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... rticular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such regulations may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely a) xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxx b) xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxx c) the salaries and allowances and other conditions of service of employees of the Nigam or a Jal Sansthan other than employees employed on contract basis. Regulation 31 Besides the provision made under these regulations, the pay and allowances, pension, leave, imposition of penalty and other terms and conditions of service shall be governed by such rules, regulations and orders which are equally applicable to other serving government servants concerned functioning in the State. From the aforesaid provisions, it would be clear that the appointed date for the purposes of the Act was 18th June, 1975 when the Nigam was established and under Section 37 of the Act, conditions of service of the appellants/petitioners who were employed in the Local Self Engineering Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh before the appointed date, were continued to remain the same as they were before the appointed date unless and until the same are altered by the Nigam under t ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... Reference in this connection may be made to a decision of this Court in the case of V.T.Khanzode and others v. Reserve Bank of India and another AIR 1982 SUPREME COURT 917. In that case, under Section 58(1) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, powers were conferred upon the Central Board of Directors of the Bank to make regulations in order to provide for all matters for which provision was necessary or convenient for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the Act which section in the opinion of their Lordships included the power to frame regulation in relation to service conditions of the bank staff. In that case, instead of framing regulations, the bank issued administrative circulars in relation to service conditions of the staff acting under Section 7(2) of the Reserve Bank of India Act which was a general power conferred upon the bank like Section 15(1) of the present Act. It was laid down that there is no doubt that a statutory corporation can do only such acts as are authorized by the statute creating it and that, the powers of such a corporation cannot extend beyond what the statute provides expressly or by necessary implication. It was further laid down that so lon ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... shall be applicable to the employees of the Nigam. However, it would be open to the Nigam with the previous approval of the State Government to make suitable amendment in Regulation 31 and alter service conditions of employees of the Nigam, including their age of superannuation. It is needless to say that if it is so done, the same shall be prospective. For the foregoing reasons, the appeals as well as writ petitions are allowed, orders passed by the High Court dismissing the writ petitions as well as those by the Nigam directing that the appellants of the Civil Appeals and petitioners of the Writ Petitions would superannuate upon completion of the age of 58 years are set aside and it is directed that in case the employees have been allowed to continue up to the age of 60 years by virtue of some interim order, no recovery shall be made from them but in case, however, they have not been allowed to continue after completing the age of 58 years by virtue of erroneous decision taken by the Nigam for no fault of theirs, they would be entitled to payment of salary for the remaining period up to the age of 60 years which must be paid to them within a period of three months from the date o ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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