Prabhat Ranjan Singh vs R.K. Kushwaha

4. On   23.10.2007,   the   Ministry   of   Railways   issued   a requisition to the UPSC for filling up vacancies in the Group­A service.   The test was to be conducted in the year 2008 and the   recruitment   was   known   as   the   Engineering   Services Examination, 2008.  Shri R.K. Kushwaha, hereinafter referred to   as   ‘the   direct   recruit’,   was   successful   in   the   said examination.     He   was   duly   selected   and   joined   service   on 3 14.12.2009.  Some officers, who were working in the Group­B service of  the  Signal and Telecommunication  Department of the   Indian   Railways   were   promoted   vide   order   dated 12.08.2014 to  Group­A service with  effect from 08.05.2014. These   officers   were   given   benefit   of   weightage   of   5   years   of service rendered in Group­B service in terms of Rule 334 of the   Indian   Railways   Establishment   Manual   (for   short   ‘the IREM’), Vol.1 and their relevant date for fixation of seniority was fixed as 08.05.2009.

9. The case of the direct recruit was that the principle laid down in N.R. Parmar’s case (supra) had been recognized and implemented   by   the   Department   of   Personnel   and   Training (for short ‘the DoPT’) in its circular dated 04.03.2014.  As per him, since requisition was issued on 23.10.2007, he should be granted seniority from the said date.   The CAT held that the case of the direct recruit that he should be given seniority from 23.10.2007 is not acceptable.

15. This development took place on 05.03.2018, during the pendency of this petition.  According to the direct recruits, the action of the Railways in placing some of the promotee officers above the direct recruits was violative of the order of the CAT 14 and   they,   accordingly   filed   contempt   petition   no. 050/00070/17   before   the   CAT   which   was   dismissed   vide order dated 02.04.2018.   The CAT held that in its order the reference   to  N.R.   Parmar’s  case   (supra)   was   regarding removing the arbitrariness due to ‘DITS’ and bringing it in line with the concept of ‘vacancy year/allotment year’, which does away   with   the   problem   and   the   revised   policy   after amendment   fixes   the  ‘allotment/vacancy   year’   for   fixing   the seniority and not ‘DITS’.  It also held that since this Court is seized   of   the   matter,   the   parties   can   place   their   grievance regarding   the   legality   of   the   revised   policy   before   us.   The contempt petition was dismissed.

34. The   situation   as   on   date   is   that   rules   have   been amended.  These rules have to be implemented.  Neither the promotees   nor   the   direct   recruits   have   challenged   these rules.  We are therefore not going into other issues raised by the parties.

35. We dispose of the appeal by holding that the CAT had only directed that instead of ‘DITS’, the ‘year of allotment’ should   be   the   determining   factor/criteria   for   determining the  inter   se  seniority.     We   further   hold   that   there   was neither any challenge to Rule 334 of the IREM Vol. 1 in the original application nor did the CAT go into this issue.  We, 34 accordingly   uphold   the  order  dated 02.04.2018 passed  by the CAT, Patna Bench dismissing the contempt petition filed by the direct recruit Mr. R.K. Kushwaha.  Consequently, the Transferred Case No. 52/2018 i.e. Writ Petition being CWJC No. 6489/2018 before the Patna High Court is dismissed.

36. Applications   for   intervention/impleadment   are rejected.

37. The   contempt   petitions   and   all   pending   applications shall also stand disposed of.

SLP (C) NO(S). 4144 OF 2018

38. This petition is directed against the interim order dated 29.01.2018 passed by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Principal   Bench   at   Jabalpur   in   Writ   Petition   No.   299   of 2018.  The petition itself has been finally disposed of by the 35 High Court vide order dated 20.03.2018 and, therefore, this petition is rendered infructuous and disposed of as such.