.F-^ ~n"/'.'; y-^ 'RT OF JUDICATURE CHHATTISOARH^ BILAS DIVISION •A, : SHRI S.R. NAYAK,CJ & HON'BLE SHRI D.R. DESHMUKH. J. DpTITK 1. Devkl Khatri, aged about 36 year, Wife of Shi-i Suresh Khatri, Resident of Ward -Mo. 5, Veer Savrarto.r Ward (Gandhi M.",.~/-iA A>—^?f/-t"*.-.~ r'»;;~*^^A et,.~-<,i:^ i'<itatye*j^, ^tiiii^ii^.ijjtui, L^iS>t,{(^i- OuiyUjt.t 2. Khnstlns TOPDO, aasd about 45 vo^rs, Wife of Shii Baideo Toppo, Resident of Ward No. 21, Bal Ganoadhar Tllak, f~^i-,^|~;-n.,".»-^ A ^^!».;!.^^..-tf.,,. r^.i^.A-f^A S1; .»»,,<:.^. WU^UI^«Sti.6t, MiiiUii\cipUi, L^i&t.jii^i CUigujSt ff^ t^ 3. Urmli^ D^$, ^oed ^bout 30 VB^FS, Wif© of Shri Nai'ayan Das, Resident of RsJdas Ward, Ambikapur, District ^ur^ujci (^.iui.}. Q State of Chhattisgarh, Through : The Secreiary', DepaitiTien't of Women and Child Develonment. D.K.S. Bhawan Raipui- (C.G.). The O^ll^^f^r ni<strift SS fl'f'SJ !!7> Ainbikapur (C.G.). Th° Commfsslon^r, Munlcin8i Corporation, Ambikapui, District Surguja The District Women and Chi!d DevsloDment. AmbikaDiir. District S.;^-^.5;^ //-» -\, \ ^Jct ^O.vsi.^f, The D'strict ProQramTts Offlcsr, Women and Chiid Deveiopment Officer, Ambikapur, District Surguja (C-.G.). Thc Unlon of Indi^. throuoh th^ Secietary, Ministry of 'vVomen and Child Welfare. Mew Delhi. —A' l^ •<' Present: Smt Hamida Siddique, learned counsel for the petitloners. Shr' Prashant Mishra, learned Additional A.G. with Shri Utkarsh Verma, learned Dy. G.A. for the State/respondents. {.Passedon us' "flie followino oral order of the Court was oassed by tK. CJ • The petitioners are working as Sanghathika/Sahayika under a Scheme cailed "Specia! Mutrition Diet Distribution Scheme" (for short "the Scheme"), at the Special Nutrition Diet Distributioh Centre, Ambikapur, Dlstrlct Surauia, This Sch9fn@ Is ©vo!v©dbv' th@ Womsn ^nd Chltd Q^y^fQ^m^nt D9p3,rtrfi@nt, GovsmHi^nt of Chhatttsssrh. It Is $t3tsd th^t the petitioners have been working as Sanghathika/Sahayika for more than a decads. The Government of C-hhattisgarh has decidsd to closs down ths said Scheme. It is stated that in order to help the Sanghathika/Sahayika who worR^d undor ths Schoms. th^ S9cr9t8H/, Wom^n and Chlid 09v9lOD'T18Ht D^D^rtH1@Ht. GoV9rH!-T19nt of Chh^ttis03rh hSS iSSUBd 3 c'rc"!ar dated 10-04-2006 containing Instructions/guideisnes prQvjding for ir^ferenc^ to thQ^o Sanghsthik^/Sah^yik^ who hsve bc^n wofking undsr ths Schom^ in ths niatt@r of aDDointment ^s AnQBnb^di workor/Assist^nt ynrl^f ^ho H9W S^t Of fUi^S, ThlS Wfit D9tltfOH JS fifed bv so?r!9 of th© Ssngh^thlks-s/S^hsyikss coniptejning th^t a SanQhathiks/SBhsylkB In ordor to quaiify himseif or herse'f to th®post of Anganbadl workfir/Assistant he or shs shou!d be a matriculate, if appointment is sought in urban area and that prsscription is arbitrary, unreasonable and viotative of Articie 14 ofthe Constitution of 'ndia. It is also comD'ained that the Government havin< taken a decisson to provide preferencs to SanQhathikas/Sahayikas who ./' ./ ;"i /_ -3- have been working under the Scheme in the matter of appointment to the post of Anganbadi worker/Assistant, ought not to have imposed the condition that a candidate should be matriculate in order to quaiify himseff/herself to the post of Anganbadi worker/Assistant. (2) Having heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned Add'tlonal Advocate Gensral, we are of the considered oplnion that ther; exist no grounds which couid persuade us to step in under Article 226 of the Constltut'on and jnterfere v/ifh the qualification, prescribed by the Department that a candidate for the post of Anganbadi worker/Assistant in urban area shou!d be a matriculate. At the threshold, it needs to be noticed that but for the Circuiar issued by the Secretary, Women and C-hl'd Ttsnt. Gov^fnmQHt of Chhsttiso^rh providinQ for DfQferencs in th$ matter of aDDoihtment to ths D'ost of Anaanbadi worker/A.ssistant, ths petitioners and sjmilariy clrcumstanced others who have been working as S^-nQhsthlkas/S^h^vlIos und^r th©Schonio ouQht not to have cteim^d SV9H Df©f9f9T1C8JU thO m^tt^f of 3DDoiptrTi9nt, It aiso n^sds to b9 notlcsd ^ f^^ thrsshold that th9 D^tit'onQfs ^nd siniilQriv circumstenc©d oth^r S^HQhs'thlkBs/Sah^viR^s wore ^opointed whQH th@ Schsms w^s in currQucy snd th©trappojntni^nt wss co-tsrminous with the terni of ths Scheme itself. Sincs the Schsme has besn aboiished, ths pstltionere and simi'^riv circumstenc^d oth^rs do not h9.v©^nv ^xistino Qnfofcsablo rlahtto instst th^t th@ Gov'^fHTiQnt should fr^nis th©r'j|©sIn sych 8 w^v ss to absorb 3!! S^nohsthik^sAS^h^.vllos who work@d und9r tha Schsm^, Thlfd'v, it nd9ds to bo notlcsd th^t ofsscrtDtion of QUBlificBtlon for snv Dost sQUsrolv fs?i!s within tho doni^Jn of th9 ExBcutlvo / AppolntinQ Authority snd it Is not for th@ Cout't to Droscribs the cju'^hfic^tlon ss sottl^d in nunib^r of DroHOunc!9msnts of th3 SuDrsm@ Court srTd th^ H'oh Coufts, Th9 iinilted ^ K \(' -^' scope ofjudiciai reviewof quaiifications p.rescribed by the State employer is to see whether any particular qualification is so absurd or irrational so as to attract wrath of Article 14 postulates. The qualification prescribed for a candicfate in order to qualify himse'f,/ herself to the post of Anganbadi worker/Assistanf 'n urban arsa cannot bs conds'r'nsd on anv rational test as bs'na tota!iy irreievant to the obiect to be schieved. We a'so do not ^.^^a With th9 lOSm^d COUH3©1fc;r thte DOtltlonQfs th^t th©P@W S8t Of fUlOS ^npjy OH^V tO th8 DOSt of Anp^nbsdi work9rs/A$sist3rits in ufban aro^s. If th^t is 50, ss could b©S09H frO?T1 3 tf^HSistsd coov of AnnsxuF^ P"1whioh is plscoc! bsfors us 3-t th8 tim^ of h^^riHQ, th9 ruJQS th^ms^fvss Dfovid^ for sppolHtmsnt of both msitricul^tcs §nd non-m^tficui^tos. ' Tho rul9 HQS prsscrlb^d dlfferont p^y ln th9 form of honor^riuni to ths fnstriGutetes ^nd non-m^tricui^tss. Abov^ ^!!, !fth©sfoov^ contQHtion ofthQ te^msd counss! |3 fp^9 tf^@n ^^j-^ v/^s PQ H8©dtO DfQS'CHb^ IH AHH^XUfS P"1 th3.t iH Ufb^H ^f92 11 ts COfHDUlSOP/ ti^^t thr3 ApQsnbadl workor shoutd b©a m^triculsts, Th^ ^t'm snd subst0nca of th9 olrcutef tssy^cl bv' tho Sscrct^H/. Wom^n ^ncl.,0h'id 0©v©iopfHQHtDQp^rtm©nt?3nd nsw sst of rulds y^uld ao to show rhgf thOUQh th^ pf^forSHC^ is DFOvidsd to ^il thos9 who h^vo boen worklnQ ss SsH^h^thiR^/S^hsy!^ undor th^ Schcnie, thsy shouid flrst ^u^lffy thsm^Giv^s to b©eonsid^fQd in ternis ofths Qy^il^cstions orescribsd undQr tha n&w 3-ot ofTulas, Onlv thoso •S^nah^thlkBS/S^h^vH'c^s who DOSSSSS tho pfBSCf'bsd CIIJ3ll'RC3t!QHS UHdOF th9 H9W sst of mtes oont^iHsc* In Annoxun P"1 could ctefm pr0f0f8nc©in t©rm^of th^ ctrcuter snd not othsrwlss, (3) In th^ fosult, wo do not f"td sny oround to IntQTf^rQ.' Ths writ OQtition J^. th9f©for8,dismjss^d. Thls ord^r, how^vof. 3haH not conio in th9 w^v of th^ OovQrpfH^nt oonsldsrln.Q th^ rsDfssont^tlons m^d^ bv th^ ostitIonQfs and sim'larly circumstanced others requssting for thssr absorptlon in ths s"- State service wh'ch representations are said to be pending before the concerned Authorit'es, favourably. Sd/- ChiefJustice Sd/- DyipRaosahebDeshmukh Judge }^1-