Case: Roshan Lal and Others Vs. International Airport Authority of India and Others

The International Airport Authority was constituted by Act 43 of 1971 to administer the Airports of Bombay (Santacrus) Calcutta (Dum Dum), Delhi [Palam] and Madras [Meenamabakkam]. The Petitioners and respondents Nos. 3, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 were appointed on various dates, in the year 1972 and later as Airport Terminal Managers. In 1972 the organisation of an Airport Management consisted of an Airport Director at the apex a Deputy Director immediately below him, an Airport Officer below the Deputy Director and Terminal Managers, Executive Engineers, Accounts Officer, Assistant Personnel Offices, etc., below the Airport Officer. The scale of pay of a Terminal Manager was Rs.0 [subsequently revised to Rs.. The scale of pay of an Airport Officer was Rs.0 (subsequently revised to Rs.. The duties of Airport Terminal Manager and Airport Officer were prescribed respectively in Circular Nos.4 Ops. dated August 30, 1974, and4 Ops. dated April 8, 1974. Though it was claimed by the learned counsel for the petitioners that the duties of a Terminal Manager and an Airport Officer were the same a perusal of the two circulars reveals that it is not so in fact. The circular prescribing "the duties and responsibilities of a Terminal Manager" expressly mentions that Terminal Manager "will have to maintain very close liaison and seek thes in dealing with matters from the Airport Director/Deputy Director/Airport Officer as the case may be" clearly indicating that Airport Officer was superior and Terminal Manager was subordinate in status. The Terminal Manager is responsible for ensuring cleanliness of the Terminal Building and surrounding areas and to take periodical checks of the operational areas to see that runway, etc., are clear of hazards of aircraft movement. They have to maintain liaison with airlines and Government Officers to collect information regarding aircraft movements. The have to take possession of unclaimed lost property and to make the same over to the Airport Director. They are required to keep a check on the distribution and sale proceeds of Airport admission tickets, car park admission tickets, etc. They are to maintain liaison with local police and security forces. The are required to check V.I.P. and V.V.I.P. lounges to keep them neat. They are to check the suggestion box from time to time. They are also to maintain discipline of the staff placed under them. They are required to report to the Airport Director all events of unusual occurrence. They are also required to perform any other duties that may be assigned to them by the Airport Directors. On the other hand the Airport Officer is required to assist the Director and Deputy Director in the day to day running of the maintenance of the Airport runways, etc. He is required to inspect the lighting systems and power generation sets and to check the efficient functioning of crash, fire and rescue services. He is to be incharge of Coordination with all authorities, agencies for safety of aircraft operations. He is expected to take preventive measures against bird hazards, cattle and dog nuisance. He is to check the revenue from admission fees and passenger service fees at the Airport. He is to keep liaison with all Government Departments. He is to maintain discipline and orderly movement of vehicular traffic. He is to inspect and check the functioning of various passengers amanitas and services, the functioning of P.A. system, Air craft Movement Boards etc. etc. A comparison of the duties and responsibilities of the Terminal Manager with the duties and responsibilities of an Airport Officer clearly reveals that they are by no means the same and the duties and responsibilities of an Airport Officer are of a supervisory character, endowed with greater responsibility2. The International Airport Authority of India at its meeting held on December 23, 1975 decided to accept the recommendations of a Task Force appointed by it to consider the question of reorganisation and rationalisation of the existing set up at the Airport and Head quarters. According to the decision which was taken on December 23, 1975 there was to be an Airport Director at the top, next to him a Deputy Directors and below him Airport Officers, Executive Engineers etc. There were to be five Airport Officers [ops]., instead of the existing single Airport Officer at the Bombay Airport. Five posts of Terminal Manager at the Bombay were to be abolished. Officers known as E and M Officers were to be redesignated, as also the Accounts Officer. Similarly at the Airport of Delhi, Calcutta and Madras the number of Airport Officers [ops] was to be raised from one to five, from one to four, and from one to three respectively and the posts of Terminal Managers in all the Airports were to be abolished, five at Delhi, four at Calcutta and three at Madras. The port previously called E and M Officers and Accounts Offices were to be redesignated. The duties of Airport Officer [Operation] were stipulated in these terms : "they will be responsible for all operational management on the air side and terminal [including facilitation] management with Assistant Apron Controllers to assist them. They will work directly under Deputy Directors"3. Even before the Board of the International Airport Authority passed its resolution accepting the scheme of reorganisation proposed by the Task Force, two posts of Airport Officers [Operations] were advertised in September, 1974. Among other applicants for the posts there were ten out of the fourteen Airport Terminal Manager then employed. After considering the rival merits of all applicants and interviewing them a common panel for the posts of Airport Offices [Operations], Airport Officers [Apron Control] was prepared. Four out of the ten Airport Terminal Managers who had applied were included in the panel. After the approval of the proposal for rationalisation and reorganisation, the posts of Airport Officer [Apron Control] were abolished and those posts were cavorted into posts of Airport Officers [Operations]. Appointments to some of the posts of Airport Officers [Operation] were made from the panel. In order to facilities the absorption and appointment of the remaining Terminal Managers (which posts were abolished) as Airport Officers, "a general mental ability and aptitude test was held". The petitioners and various other employees of the International Airport Authority appeared at the aptitude test and were selected. There after they were appointed as Airport Officers [ops]. In December, 1977, a seniority list of Airport Officers was published and the complaint of the petitioners is that although they were senior to some of the respondents as Terminal Managers and had entered the service of the International Airport Authority long before the appointment of the remaining respondents as Airport Officers, they were placed below the respondents in the seniority list.

Court's reasoning:
We are afraid that it is rather late in the day for the petitioners to question the appointment of the respondents as Airport Officers [ops]. The respondents were appointed as Airport Officers in 1975 and the present writ petitions were filed in 1978.We do not think we will be justified in reopening the question of the legality of the appointment of respondents as Airport Officers several years after the the appointment. We also notice that the prayer in the Writ Petitions also is confined primarily to the seniority list and consequences flowing from the seniority listThat the Airport Officers were also attending to the duties of Terminal Managers cannot lead to the conclusion that all their duties are identical. For some time during the period before the selection and appointment of the petitioners as Airport Officers [Operations] they continued to work as Terminal Managers notwithstanding the abolition of those posts. It was during that period that airport officers and terminal Managers were relieving each other in the performance of their duties. We are not prepared to hold that this circumstances would entitled the petitioners to claim that they were already performing the duties of Airport Officers (ops.) and that they were entitled to claim seniority on that basis. Smt. Shyamla Pappu also placed reliance on the office note put up by Shri Viswanath according to which the duties and responsibilities of Airport Officers (ops.) are generally the same as were being performed by the erstwhile Terminal Managers.