JUDGMENT

SAWANT, J. :- The appellants, Union of India and the Director, Technical Development and Production (Air), Ministry of Defence, have preferred this appeal against the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Hyderabad Bench, holding that respondent K.T. Shastry was entitled to remain in service up to the superannuation age of 60 years and was not liable to be retired at the alleged superannuation age of 58 years.

2. The relevant admitted facts are that the respondent was recruited as a Senior Scientific Officer on October 12, 1966 in the Defence Science Service. He was posted in the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (Air), briefly called DTD & P. At the relevant time the Defence Science Service had three units under it, namely, (1) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), 2) Directorate-General of Inspection (DGI) and (3) Directorate of Technical Development and Production (Air) (DTD & P).

The recruitment when made was always to the Defence Science Service, and after the recruitment, the recruits were posted according to the exigency of the service, in any of the said three units. Their services were interchangeable and inter-transferabl