Case: State of Mysore &amp; Another Vs. Syed Mahmood &amp; Others

1. On the reorganisation of States on November 1, 1956, the services of Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao were allotted to the State of Mysore and they were employed there as junior statistical assistants. On January 16, 1958 the head of the Department of Statistics under the directions of the Government of State of Mysore prepared a tentative seniority list of non-gazetted staff of that department treating junior statistical assistants and senior statistical inspectors of the former State of Hyderabad, junior statistical assistants and senior compilers of the former State of Mysore, statistical assistants and statistical inspectors from Bombay and the head compilers of Coorg as holding the equivalent posts of junior statistical assistants in the State of Mysore. In 1959, before revising this tentative seniority list the State Government directed that all the statistical assistants and statistical inspectors of Bombay State and the head compilers of Coorg should be treated and promoted as senior statistical assistants. As a result of this direction officers ranking below Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao in the seniority list published on January 16, 1958 were promoted to the higher posts. In making their promotions, the State Government did not consider the fitness of Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao for promotion at all. At a much later date, they were promoted as senior statistical assistants. On May 3, 1963, the State Government published a revised seniority list placing inspectors from Bombay and head compilers from Coorg in the category of senior statistical assistants. Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao filed separate writ petitions in the High Court of Mysore asking for appropriate writs quashing the seniority list published on May 3, 1963, and directing the State Government to consider their case for promotion as senior statistical assistants with retrospective effect. As the objections to the seniority list published on May 3, 1963 were still under consideration by the State Government the High Court refused to quash this seniority list but it directed the State Government to promote Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao as from the respective dates on which respondents junior to them were promoted as senior statistical assistants and to treat such promotions as effective up to May 3, 1963. The State of Mysore has filed the present appeals from the orders directing the promotion of Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao after obtaining special leave.

Court's reasoning:
As he rendered satisfactory service and was considered fit for obtaining increments and promotions in the new department, he should be deemed to be fit for promotion in the parent department and was entitled to promotion in that department when an officer next below him there was getting promotions based on seniority-cum-merit. In official language, this is the next below rule" under which an officer on deputation is given a paper promotion and shown as holding a higher post in the parent department if the officer next below him there is being promoted. In our opinion, this case is entirely distinguishable. It decided that under the relevant service rules the fitness for promotion of an officer on deputation in the new department was equivalent to fitness for promotion in the parent department and the officer was entitled to promotion in the parent department when the officer next below him there was obtaining promotion based on seniority-cum-merit. But it is not an authority for the proposition that the officer on deputation is entitled to promotion in either the new or the parent department as a matter of right by virtue of his seniority alone, or that he should be deemed to be promoted whenever the officer next below him is beingthe promotion is based on seniority-cum-merit, the officer cannot claim promotion as a matter of right by virtue of his seniority alone. If he is found unfit to discharge the duties of the higher post, he may be passed over and an officer junior to him may be promoted.5. We are of the opinion that the State Government should be directed at this stage to consider the fitness of Syed Mahmood and Bhao Rao for promotion in 1959. If on such examination the State Government arbitrarily refuses to promote them, different considerations would arise.The State Government would upon such consideration be under a duty to promote them as from 1959 if they were then fit to discharge the duties of the higher post and if it fails to perform its duty, the Court may direct if to promote them as from 1959.