1. Heard Mr. Prabhat Ranjan Singh for the petitioner, Mr. Krishna Kant Singh, Assisting Counsel to G.P. 5 for the State and Mr. Sudhir Singh, learned Central Government Counsel for the Accountant General.

2. With the consent of the parties, the matter has been taken up for disposal at the stage of admission.

3. The petitioner was appointed as a Junior Accounts Clerk in the office of the Executive Engineer on 21.12.1973 and Accounts Clerk in the year 1978. The petitioner passed his Hindi Noting & Drafting Examination in the year 1977 and also passed Additional Accounts Training Examination in the year 1984. The petitioner was granted first time bound promotion vide letter no. 1021 dated 2.7.1985 in the light of the Government Resolution No. 10770 dated 30.12.1981 with effect from 21.12.1983 and was confirmed vide office order dated 6.11.1987 (Annexure-2). The petitioner superannuated while holding the post of Accounts Clerk in the year 2005.

4. During the processing of his post retiral benefits, an objection was raised by the Accountant General that the petitioner not having passed the departmental accounts examination, had incorrectly been granted the first time bound prom