JUDGMENT :

VIKRAM NATH, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. The present appeal arises out of the final judgment dated 8th July, 2024, passed by the High Court of Judicature at Madras¹ [Hereinafter, referred to as “High Court”] in Writ Petition No. 31674 of 2019, whereby the High Court dismissed the writ petition and affirmed the order dated 20th December, 2018, passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal, Madras Bench² [Hereinafter, referred to as “Tribunal”] in O.A. No. 326 of 2015, rejecting the appellants’ claim for regularisation of their services.

3. The brief facts, relevant for the disposal of the present appeal, are as follows:

3.1. The appellants are daily-wage employees engaged at different points of time between 1991 and 1997 in the Mahendragiri Unit of the respondent-Centre. In 1993, respondent No. 1 formulated a scheme³ [Casual Labourers (Grant of Temporary Status and Regularisation) Scheme, 1993] conferring temporary status upon casual labourers. Pursuant thereto, the appellants submitted representations seeking regularisation of their services in terms of the said scheme.

3.2. As no action was taken by the respondents, the appellants approached the Tribunal by filing O.A. No. 455 of