THE HON’BLE MR JUSTICE L. NARASIMHA REDDY Writ Petition No.4168 of 2011 ORDER: A notification was issued on 01.10.2007 by the Indian Oil Corporation, inviting applications for selection and appointment of LPG Distributors, to various places in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The petitioner, the 4th respondent and certain others submitted applications for the distributorship at Ravulapalem, East Godavari District. Interviews were conducted on 14.02.2009. On such evaluation, the petitioner was placed at serial No.1. Respondent No.4 was not considered, on certain technical grounds. He filed W.P.No.3021 of 2009 before this Court. The writ petition was allowed on 15.12.2009 and the same was confirmed by a Division Bench of this Court and the Hon’ble Supreme Court. As a result, the case of the 4th respondent was considered. In the revised exercise, it so happened that the 4th respondent is placed above the petitioner. The petitioner contends that he was awarded more than 95 marks in the interview and even if the 4th respondent was awarded any marks more than that, respondents 1 to 3 were under obligation to place the matter before the Screening Committee of the State in accordance with the circular, dated 07.04.2005. He seeks a direction in this regard. Separate counter-affidavits are filed by respondents 1 to 3 on the one hand and respondent No.4 on the other. According to them, the circular dated 07.04.2005, is no longer in force and it has been superseded by a circular issued on 31.12.2008. Sri Chinthapanti Aditya Krishna, learned counsel for the petitioner, submits that as on the date of issuing of the notification, i.e. 01.10.2007, the circular dated 07.04.2005 was very much in vogue and that respondents 1 to 3 are under obligation to take steps in accordance with it. He contends that even if the Corporation has taken a decision on 31.12.2008 to discontinue the procedure under the circular, dated 07.04.2005, that would come into force only in respect of the selections, in pursuance of notifications issued subsequent to 31.12.2008. Sri T.Srinivas, learned counsel for the Corporation, and Sri O.Manohar Reddy, learned counsel for the 4th respondent, submit that the circulars that are in force as on the date of interview, are to be taken into account and that the petitioner has no right to insist that the matter be placed before the Screening Committee. In the selections that were undertaken, at the initial stage, the petitioner was placed at serial No.1, with 96.07 marks. The case of the 4th respondent was not considered, on the ground that the affidavit filed by him was defective. In compliance with the orders passed by this Court in W.P.No.3021 of 2009, his case was considered. On the basis of the evaluation undertaken by them, the Corporation placed the 4th respondent at serial No.1, and thereby, the petitioner was relegated to second position. The Corporation issued circular, dated 07.04.2005, which mandates that wherever the difference between the first and second empanelled candidate is less than 5%, the matter shall be placed before the Screening Committee of the State. If that is applied, since the difference between the petitioner and the 4th respondent is less than 5%, the matter ought to have been placed before the Screening Committee. However, placing reliance upon a circular dated 31.12.2008, the Corporation did not take such a step. It is no doubt true that by issuing of circular dated 31.12.2008 the Corporation has taken away with the system of final reference or review of evaluation by a Screening Committee. However, the new procedure would apply only to those notifications, which are issued subsequent to 31.12.2008. In the instant case, the notification was issued earlier to that. It is settled principal of law that, the principles of law or the norms that were obtaining as on the date of the notification, would govern the procedure till its conclusion and the changes that take place in the meanwhile do not apply. Hence, the writ petition is allowed and the Corporation is directed to take steps in accordance with the circular dated 07.04.2005 and complete the exercise as early as possible. There shall be no order as costs. _____________________ L. NARASIMHA REDDY, J. Dt.14.03.2011. GJ