Judgment

Srinivasan, J.-Leave granted in SLP.

The Food Corporation of India (here­inafter referred to as Corporation) was established under the Food Corporation of India Act, 1945 (for short, the Act). Section 45 of the Act empowered the Corporation to make regulations for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the Act with the previous sanction of the Central Government. One of the matters set out in sub-section 2 is ‘the methods of appointment, the conditions of service etc. of the officers and employees of the Corporation other than the Secretary’. For the first time in 1971 F.C.I. (Staff) Regulations were framed. Prior to that all matters relating to the service of employees were governed by Office Manual.

2. Under the 1971 Regulations, Category 3 comprised inter alia the posts of Assistant Grade I (for short AG-I), Assistant Grade-II (for short AG-II), Assistant Grade-III (for short AG-III), Typist and Telephone Operator in the General Administration Cadre as well as in the Godown Cadre. The minimum educational qualification for the posts of AG I, AG II and AG III was graduation while it was matriculate for the other two posts. The mode of recruitment for the post of