JUDGMENT

Satish Chandra Sharma, C.J. (Oral)

1. The instant LPA has been preferred by the Appellant, praying that the judgment dated 23.12.2022 passed by the Learned Single Judge in W.P.(C) No. 18065/2004 be set aside. The Appellant herein had filed the underlying writ petition challenging the Award dated 19.07.2004 passed by the Presiding Officer, Central Government Industrial Tribunal (CGIT), New Delhi in I. D. No. 181/198.

2. The facts of the case reveal that the Appellant (writ petitioner) - as stated in the writ petition, was recruited in the services of State Bank of India in the month of January 1983 as a Messenger-cum-Water Boy at Nangli Sakrawati Branch of the State Bank of India and continued up to December 1986. As per the statement of the Petitioner, he was re-engaged by the State Bank of India as a Messenger-cum-Water Boy in the same branch in the month of January 1989 and continued to work up to 31.11.1997.

3. The Petitioner - while he was in service, raised an industrial dispute claiming regularisation and the conciliation proceedings resulted in failure. The Reference was forwarded to the Central Government Industrial Tribunal for adjudication and the same reads as