ORDER

In the State of Karnataka there existed several hereditary village offices, namely, Patel, Patwari and Gramsahayaks prior to 1961. In the year 1961, the Karnataka Legislature passed an Act known as Karnataka Village Officer s Abolition Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as, the Act ) in terms whereof all the hereditary offices at village level were abolished. However, the holders of such offices were allowed to continue on ad-hoc basis on compassionate ground. Subsequently a circular was issued providing for compassionate appointment of children of Gramsahayaks who hold earlier hereditary offices on November 1, 1991 and died in harness.

2. It appears that the respondents herein were appointed as Gram Sahayaks in pursuance of the Government Order permitting the hereditary offices to continue on ad-hoc basis. It is not disputed that respondents were appointed as Sahayak Lekhpal between 1979 to 1983. Alleged on the ground that what were paid to them as salary was very meagre; they filed an original application before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal at Bangalore praying therein to pay unto them salary which was being paid to other Group D employees and further to regularise