IMPORTANT POINT
A Government servant on abolition of the post is required to be either dismissed from service due to non-availability of post or may be dealt with according to the policy and similar would be the situation when the Government decides to hand over its institution to a private body.

ORDER

Impleadment petition is dismissed.

Leave granted. We have heard learned counsel for the parties.

2. These appeals by special leave arise from the judgment of the Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, made on February 2, 1993 in CWP Nos. 1629 and 1976/1992. The Government Engineering College, Bhatinda with the existing staff was handed over to a society, an autonomous body, as a result of the Government decision dated January 26, 1992. The respondents who are the Government employees filed writ petitions contending that they are not agreeable to further transfer with the institution and pleaded for their absorption in the Government Departments. The High Court in the impugned order has directed to absorb all of them in Government institutions on permanent basis- Feeling aggrieved, these appeals by special leave have been filed by the State Government. It is settled law that a Government servant on abolition of the post is required to be either dismissed from service due to non-availability of post or may be dealt with according to the policy. Similar would be the situation when the Government decides to hand over its institution to a private body. By order of this Court dated April 18, 1996 it was recorded that the 14 named respondents have opted to insist upon their absorption in the Government service and the rest of them have agreed to be absorbed in the institution taken over by the autonomous body. Consequently, we wanted to ascertain from the Government whether it would be possible for the Government to allow them to retain their status as Government servants in any vacancy in any Department and/or in any College under their control. Counsel had sought for and permission was given to consider the above suggestion given by the learned counsel for the respondents. Pursuant thereto, an affidavit has been filed by Ranjit Singh, Additional Director, Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab. In that affidavit, it is stated that the Government have decided to absorb the following seven respondents working in non-teaching staff in the college:

1. Shri Gurjant Singh

2. Shri Kulwant Singh

3. Shri Ved Prakash

4. Shri Gian Singh

5. Shri Lakshmi Chand

6. Mrs. Kamaljit Kaur

7. Shri Surinder Mittal

3. They have decided to absorb them in the Government service immediately in any of the institutions under the Directorate of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab on the posts in the same scale of pay, The respondents have agreed for the same and therefore, the appellant is directed to absorb them in the same scale of pay in the same post in any of the institutions under the control of the Directorate of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab.

4. As regards the 5 Lecturers, namely, (1) Sh. Prabhjot Singh; (2) Sh. Manwinder Singh; (3) Sh. Pawan Kapoor; (4) Sh. Amarjit Singh and (5) Dr. Sarita Chopra it is stated in the affidavit that they were working at the time when the said college was taken over by the Society in the year 1992, as Lecturers. As a result they were carrying the scale of pay of Rs. 2200-4000/- as on the date. It is stated that the Government is prepared to absorb them as Lecturers in any of the Polytechnics of the State under the Directorate of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab with a special pay of Rs. 200/- per mensum. Shri P.H. Parekh, learned counsel for the respondents, states that even as early as 1992-93 advertisement was made for recruitment of Lecturers either with the same scale of pay or lower scale of pay and such recruitment was regularly going on thereafter and as recently as on October 4, 1996 further advertisement came to be made inviting applications for recruitment. Therefore, there is no impediment for the Government to absorb them in any of the colleges, instead of Polytechnics, where they can improve their qualifications and chances of service tenure-Even if no vacancies are existing at present, they are prepared to. wait till the vacancie