IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.395 of 2009 MITHILESH KUMAR VERMA, S/o Birendra Pratap Narayan, R/o Goshain Tola, North Patliputra Colony, PS Patliputra, District Patna ……… Petitioner Versus 1. THE STATE OF BIHAR, through the Commissioner, Water Resources Department, Bihar, Patna 2. Joint Secretary, (Management), Water Resources Department, Govt. of Bihar, Patna 3. Chief Engineer, Water Resources Department, Siwan Zone, District – Siwan, Bihar 4. Superintending Engineer, Flood Control Circle, Gopalganj, District Gopalganj 5. Executive Engineer, Saran Division, Water Resources Department, Saran at Chapra ……… Respondents ----------- 02- 1.5.2009 Heard Mr. Prabhat Ranjan no.I for the petitioner, and learned Assistant Counsel to Govt. Advocate No.VI. This writ petition is directed against the order dated 20.6.2008 (Annexure 3) in so far as it concerns the petitioner, having been passed by respondent no.3, whereby he has been transferred from his present position in the district of Chapra to Saran Canal Sub-Division, Daraunda. The respondents have placed on record their counter affidavit. 2. The petitioner claims to be an Assistant Engineer in the services of the Bihar Government in the basic grade. By the impugned order, 39 similarly circumstanced persons were transferred from one place to another. The petitioner raises a grievance before this Court that in view of the Government Resolution dated 1.3.2007 (Annexure 1) has superseded all previous administrative circulars on the issues dealt with therein and has, inter alia, provided that Assistant Engineers in the basic grade in the services of the Bihar Government shall be transferred only under the authority of the departmental minister. The impugned order in so far as it concerns the petitioner passed by - 2 - respondent no.3 is, therefore, bad in law. On the other hand, the learned government counsel submits that the employees of the category of the petitioner can be transferred by the concerned Chief Engineer. He relies on the Government Resolution dated 19.4.1983 (Annexure A/4). 3. We have perused the materials on record and considered the submissions of learned counsel for the parties. The preface, and the relevant portion of the aforesaid resolution dated 1.3.2007 (Annexure 1), are reproduced hereinbelow for the facility of quick reference :- ladYi ljdkjh lsodksa ds LFkkukUrj.k@inLFkkiu ds laca/k esa uhfr ,oa izfØ;k dk fu/kkZj.k eaf=eaMy lfpoky; ,oa leUo; foHkkx ds ladYi la[;k&3918 fnukad 25-10- 1980 }kjk fd;k x;k FkkA mlds i”pkr~ lanfHkZr ladYi ds [kaM ¼d½ ¼1½ esa Hkh vkaf”kd la”kks/u foHkkxh; ladYi la[;k&2079 fnukad&18-11-2006 }kjk fd;k x;k FkkA vr% ljdkj }kjk bl ekeys esa iquZfopkj fd;k x;k ,oa oÙkZeku uhfr ,oa izfØ;k dks pqLr ,oa nq:Lr cukus ds fy, mi;qZDr iwokZns”k dks voØfer djrs gq, fuEufyf[kr fu.kZ; fy;s x;s gSa %& --- --- --- --- 5½ mi;qZDr ds vfrfjDr v/kksfyf[kr :i esa LFkkukUrj.k @inLFkkiu l{ke izkf/kdkj ds Lrj ls fuiVk;s tk;saxs %& fo’k; Lk{ke izkf/kdkj 1- jktif=r lsokvksa ds csfld xzsM ds dk;Zjr inkf/kdkfj;ksa dk LFkkukUrj.k ,oa inLFkkiuA ea=h 2- jktif=r lsokvksa ds csfld xzsM ds Åij ds nks xzsM~l ,oa led{k xzsM~l esa dk;Zjr inkf/kdkfj;ksa dk LFkkukUrj.k ,oa inLFkkiuA ea=h 3- jktif=r lsokvkasa ds mi;qZDr ¼1½ ,oa ¼2½ esa mfYyf[kr inkf/kdkfj;ksa ls fHkUu ,oa jkT; lsokvksa ds ojh;re xzsM~l esa dk;Zjr inkf/kdkfj;ksa dk LFkkukUrj.k ,oa inLFkkiuA eq[; lfpo ds ekQZr ls eq[;ea=h 4- foHkkxk/;{kksa dh fu;qfDr@izksUufr ,oa LFkkukUrj.k @ inLFkkiu rFkk vf[ky Hkkjrh; lsokvksa ds inkf/kdkfj;ksa ds LFkkukUrj.k inLFkkiu ,oa izksUufr ds lHkkh izLrko rFkk foHkkxh; lfpoksa] fo”ks’k lfpo] vij lfpo] la;qDr lfpo] mi eq[; lfpo ds ek/;e ls eq[;ea=h - 3 - lfpo ,oa voj lfpo ds inLFkkiu laca/kh lHkh izLrkoA 5- csfld xzsM ls fuEurj xzsM~l esa dk;Zjr i;Zos{kdh; Lrj ds dfeZ;ksa dk inLFkkiu ,oa LFkkukUrj.kA foHkkxk/;{k 6½ ;g vkns”k fuxZr gksus dh frfFk ls izHkkoh gksxkA vkns”k %& vkns”k fn;k tkrk gS fd bl ladYi dks fcgkj jkti= ds vlk/kkj.k vad esa rqjr izdkf”kr fd;k tk; vkSj budh izfr ljdkj ds lHkkh foHkkxksa@foHkkxk/;{kksa@lHkkh izeaMyh; vk;qDr@lHkh ftyk inkf/kdkjh dks lwpuk ,oa vko”;d dkjZokbZ ds fy, vxzlkfjr dh tk;A fcgkj jkT;iky ds vkns”k ls g0@& ¼fxjh”k “kadj½ ljdkj ds lfpo It is thus evident that three things clearly emerge from the same. This government resolution is in supersession of all the previous government resolutions / administrative instructions on the points dealt with by the same. Secondly, gazetted officers in the basic grade can be transferred by the departmental ministers. Thirdly, the same was published in the Extra-ordinary issue of the Gazette of the Government of Bihar. The impugned order does not disclose that the same was issued under the authority of the departmental minister. On the contrary, it creates an impression that the same has been issued under the signature of respondent no.3. The two important points emerging in this writ petition have not been answered in the counter affidavit. Neither does it dispute the factual position asserted by the petitioner that the impugned order has been issued under the authority of respondent no.3, and not the departmental minister. It also does not answer the very relevant question whether or not the government resolution dated 1.3.2007 (Annexure-1) has been issued in supersession of the earlier administrative instructions on the point. In - 4 - view of the statements made in the preface to the government resolution, one can safely presume that the government resolution dated 12.4.1993 (Annexure A/4) in so far as the issues mentioned therein, are covered by Annexure-1. Thirdly, Annexure-1 has been published in the Extra-ordinary issue of Official Gazette which adds further strength to the same. Accordingly, we are left with no option but to set aside the petitioner’s transfer by the impugned order. 4. In the result, the writ petition is allowed, and the petitioner’s transfer from the district of Chapra to Saran Canal Sub- Division, Daraunda, is hereby set aside. The petitioner shall be entitled to his salary issued from the Chapra office, if not withheld for any other reason. ( S K Katriar ) mrl