ORDER :

1. The State has preferred the present writ petition challenging the order dated 13.07.2016 passed by the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal at Bengaluru (‘Tribunal’ for short) in Application Nos.3109-3128/2011 connected with Application Nos.570-571/2013.

2. Succinctly stated the facts are that respondents herein were working in the cadre of Group – C Excise Guards in Tumkur District from 2008-09 and some of them were also working in the same cadre in Bellary District from 2007-08. It is not in dispute that the applicants/respondents herein were initially working as employees on daily wages and subsequently they were regularized in the scale of Group – C during the year 1991-1994 and continued in the supernumerary posts in their respective parent departments.

3. It is the contention of the applicants/respondents that they were put in 10 years of uninterrupted service before their regularization. The Deputy Commissioner of Tumkur and the Deputy Commissioner of Bellary, redeployed the regularized employees working under their control in supernumerary posts, including the applicants/respondents to the Excise Department as Excise Guards. The Excise Commissioner and the Deputy