IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION NOS :27285 & 27309 of 1998 Dated: 22nd January 2008. WRIT PETITION NO : 27285 of 1998 Between: Namana Ranga Babu, S/o Narayana Murthy, aged about 36 years, residing at Devarapalli, Ravulapalem Mandal, East Godavari District. ..... PETITIONER AND The Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, A.P.STATE road Transport Corporation, Musheerabad, Hyderabad and another. .....RESPONDENTS WRIT PETITION NO : 27309 of 1998 Between: Mandapalli Suryanarayana, S/o. Venkata Rathnam, aged about 36 years, residing at Sarada Street, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District. ..... PETITIONER AND The Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, A.P.S.R.T.C., Musheerabad, Hyderabad and another. .....RESPONDENTS THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION NOS :27285 & 27309 of 1998 ORAL COMMON ORDER: Both the writ petitions can be conveniently disposed of as the facts, to the extent they are relevant, are identical. Heard Sri K.Chidambaram for the petitioners and Sri C. Prakash Reddy the learned Standing Counsel for the respondent-Corporation. The petitioner in W.P.No.27285 of 1998 worked as a Checker, while the petitioner in W.P.No.27309 of 1998 worked as a driver of a private bus bearing registration number APS-1771 that was operated on route Inavalli to Gopalapuram. The said route were nationalized and, consequently, such of those persons, who worked under the permit holders, whose permits have been cancelled pursuant to the nationalization of the said routes, as on 05-01-1994 were sought to be considered for absorption into the service of the respondent-Corporation. The attempt made by the Corporation to resist their absorption has been found fault with by this Court and, ultimately, a Selection Committee was constituted with the Deputy Chief Traffic Manager, A.P.S.R.T.C., Rajahmundry, the Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, Rajahmundry and the Personnel Officer, Rajahmundry, to consider the cases of the petitioners along with others. This Committee has taken up for consideration the candidature of six individuals including the two petitioners herein. The Committee made recommendations for absorbing Sri Jakkala Nagabhushanam as Driver, Sri Peruru Rama Krishna as Conductor and Degala Ramakrishna Rao as Conductor. They have, however, not ordered for selection Sri Mandapalli Suryanarayana-the petitioner in W.P.No.27309 of 1998 as a Driver as he does not have the requisite physical standard of height of 158 centimeters for holding the said post. Similarly, the case of the petitioner in W.P.No.27285 of 1998 was not considered for absorption as he is an illiterate person, who cannot even read or write and hence, he is not suitable for absorption into the service of the Corporation. The reasons assigned by the Selection Committee for their non-selection, which have been accepted by the Corporation, are genuine and correct. The Motor Vehicles Act as well as the Regulations framed by the Corporation have prescribed certain standards of physical fitness and other conditions of ability to read and follow the signals, erected enroute as essentially required by Drivers. Therefore, if the petitioner in W.P.No.27309 of 1998 does not possess the requisite physical standards, he cannot find fault with his non- selection by the Corporation. Equally, the petitioner in W.P.No.27285 of 1998, being an illiterate person, is not suitable for employment as a Driver and also in public sector undertaking, where the least, as a servant, one is required to read and write and follow the instructions, which are essentially issued in writing. There is a larger public interest involved in employing only such persons, who are otherwise suitable, if instructions, particularly involving safety of the passengers or the property of the Corporation, is to be ensured, the instructions are bound to be issued in writing and if a person is unable to read or write, he will not be able to deal with such instructions. I, therefore, do not find fault with the reasons for non-selection of the respective petitioners in both the cases for their absorption into the service of the Corporation. I find no merit in both the writ petitions, hence, they are, accordingly, dismissed, but however, without costs. -------------------------------- Nooty Ramamohana Rao, J 22nd January 2008 mrk