IMPORTANT POINT
Inter se seniority of Junior Engineers – Direct recruits versus upgraded – All what is required to be considered is date on which they became members of cadre of Junior Engineers coming from two different sources.

JUDGMENT :

Rajesh Bindal, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. The issue under consideration in the present appeals is regarding inter se seniority of the incumbents appointed to the post of Junior Engineer on direct recruitment basis and those whose posts of Sectional Officer, Grade-I, were upgraded to Junior Engineer.

3. Final seniority list of Junior Engineers was circulated on 26.03.2018 showing the seniority position of the incumbents manning the posts from two different sources. Aggrieved against the seniority list, Sectional Officers, Grade-I, who were redesignated/upgraded as Junior Engineers challenged the same by filing W.P.(C)No.264(K) of 2018 and W.P.(C) No.74(K) of 2019 filed by the respondent Nos.1 to 16 herein. The Learned Single Judge vide order dated 07.02.2020 dismissed both the writ petitions. Aggrieved against the judgment of the learned Single Judge in W.P.(C)No.74(K) of 2019, an intra-court appeal, W.A. No.4 of 2020 was filed. The Division Bench of the High Court set aside the judgment of the learned Single Judge. As a consequence, the impugned seniority list circulated on 26.03.2018 was set aside and the department concerned was directed to refix the seniority of the Junior Engineers in terms of the directions given in the judgment.

3.1 Aggrieved against the aforesaid judgment, the directly recruited Junior Engineers in Civil Appeal arising out of S.L.P.(C)No.17102 of 2021 and the State in Civil Appeal arising out of S.L.P.(C)No.1136 of 2022 are before this Court.

4. Mr. P.S. Patwalia, learned senior counsel appearing for the directly recruited Junior Engineers/appellants in C.A. @ S.L.P.(C) No.17102 of 2021 submitted that they were selected as such after qualifying the exam conducted by the Nagaland Public Service Commission and appointed in the pay-scale of Rs.6000-9750, vide Notification dated 01.05.2003. Their selection and appointment were strictly in terms of the Nagaland Engineering Service Rules, 1997¹[The 1997 Rules]. Ever since their appointment they have been performing their duty diligently.

4.1 The contesting private respondents are incumbents who were earlier working in the cadre of Sectional Officers, Grade-I in the pay-scale of Rs.4500-7000. Their posts were upgraded to that of Junior Engineers by the Government of Nagaland vide Communication dated 11.10.2007. It was only thereafter that they entered in the cadre of Junior Engineer. Prior to that they were working in a lower grade as compared to the direct recruits/Junior Engineers.

4.2 After the selection of the direct recruits, a number of tentative seniority lists were circulated starting from 31.05.2004. However, none of them were finalized. It was only on 26.03.2018 that the seniority list was finalized. The appellants herein were shown above the incumbents/respondents who entered in the grade of Junior Engineers after their post of Sectional Officer, Grade-I, was upgraded to Junior Engineer. It was for the reason that the appellants have been working as Junior Engineer ever since their appointment vide Notification dated 01.05.2003 whereas the post of the Sectional Officer, Grade-I, was upgraded to that of Junior Engineers only vide Communication dated 11.10.2007. Prior to that they were working on non-gazetted lower post of Sectional Officer, Grade-I.

4.3 Even otherwise if considered in terms of the 1997 Rules, the manner in which post of Sectional Officer, Grade-I, has been upgraded to Junior Engineer, is not the manner provided in which the post of Junior Engineer can be filled up. Be that as it may, the appellants are not aggrieved with that action of the State, in case they are granted proper position in the seniority list. The result of the judgment of the Division Bench of the High Court is that the private respondents have been assigned seniority in the cadre of Junior Engineers from the date on which they were not even born in the cadre, which is legally impermissible. In support of the arguments reliance was placed upon the judgments of this Co