2012 Supreme(Gau) 1316
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GAUHATI
I.A. Ansari and S.C. Das, JJ.
Sri Manoranjan Roy – Appellants
Vs.
Sri Umesh Kumar – Respondent
Cont. Case (C) No. 94 of 2012
Decided On: 13.12.2012
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Mr. S.K. Talukdar
For Respondents/Defendant: Mr. K.N. Choudhury, Sr. Adv. and Mr. M. Mahanta
Headnote:
Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 226 – Detect and Deport Foreigners - Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners Scheme - Government of India introduced a Scheme for helping State Government of Assam to detect and deport foreigners - Scheme has been extended from time to time and is still in force - By a subsequent communication Government of India sanctioned some additional posts and agreed to reimburse cost of pay and allowances of persons employed against additional posts provided that all additional posts were filled up by ex-servicemen only - Later Scheme granting additional posts is being referred to as PIF Additional Scheme - On basis of PIF Scheme and Additional PIF Scheme many persons including present petitioner were appointed initial appointment of present petitioner being a constable but he was later on appointed as Sub-Inspector of Police - Under said Circular all appointments were contractual and for a period of one year - Appointments were to be terminated under said Circular by giving a notice of termination before expiry of contractual period of one year from date of appointment and if any ad hoc employee desired or expressed his willingness to continue then it was left to authorities concerned to make fresh appointment or even to refuse to make such an appointment - Held, We are therefore not inclined to proceed further with this Contempt case - With regard to case which learned counsel has heavily relied upon we need to point out petitioner had to put to challenge seniority list by filing a Writ petition - Writ petition was allowed by a Single Bench directing Karnataka Housing Board to reassign seniority of petitioner by placing him above respondent Nos - 2 to 34 and to grant other consequential benefits - Though Board carried matter to Supreme Court Special Leave Petition was also dismissed - order passed by Single Bench became thus final - grievance of Writ petitioner was that he had not been granted consequential benefits as had been directed by Court - On ground that he had not been granted consequential benefits/Writ petitioner filed a Contempt Case which was dismissed - Petitioner then filed a Writ petition claiming that he was entitled to consequential reliefs which had not been granted to him - Board resisted Writ petition and it was in this context that Supreme Court has observed that when an order is passed by Court it must be obeyed without any reservation unless party against whom order has been made challenges order by taking recourse to appropriate proceedings known to law - Petition stand disposed of.
I.A. Ansari, J.
1. Government of India introduced a Scheme by the name of "Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners Scheme" (in short, PIF Scheme), for helping the State Government of Assam to detect and deport foreigners. The Scheme was introduced in the year 1960 and the same has been extended from time to time and is still in force. By a subsequent communication, dated 03.06.1987, the Government of India sanctioned some additional posts and agreed to reimburse the cost of pay and allowances of the persons, employed against the additional posts, provided that all the additional posts were filled up by ex-servicemen only. The later Scheme, granting additional posts, is being referred to as PIF Additional Scheme. On the basis of the PIF Scheme and Additional PIF Scheme, many persons, including the present petitioner, were appointed, the initial appointment of the present petitioner being, a constable, but he was, later on, appointed as Sub-Inspector of Police. Thereafter, a Circular, dated 17.03.1995, was issued by the Inspector General of Police (Border), Assam. Under the said Circular, all the appointments were contractual and for a period of one year. The appointments were to be terminated, under the said Circular, by giving a notice of termination, at least, 45 days before the expiry of the contractual period of one year from the date of appointment and if any ad hoc employee desired or expressed his willingness to continue, then, it was left to the authorities concerned to make fresh appointment or even to refuse to make such an appointment.
2. While the petitioner was working as Sub-inspector, pursuant to the PIF Scheme and Additional PIF Scheme, his service was terminated on 28.12.2001 w.e.f. 04.10.2001. The petitioner challenged his termination of appointment by filing a writ petition, which gave rise to W.P. (C) 196 of 2002. By, order, dated 04.01.2005, a learned Single Judge of this Court dismissed the writ petition on the ground that in another writ petition, when order of termination, in a case covered by the PIF and additional PIF Scheme, was interfered with by a Single Bench, the Division Bench of this Court set aside the order and upheld the termination.
3. Many persons, however, who had suffered from order of termination in the sense that their appointments were not renewed by applying the aforementioned Circular, dated 17.03.95, they approached the Supreme Court, their appeal to the Supreme Court having been registered as Civil Appeal No. 7922 of 2002, Md. Abdul Kadir & another v. Director General of Police, Assam & others. The Apex Court frowned on the artificial termination of appointments of employees on the strength of the Circular, dated 17.03.95, while the PIF Scheme and Additional PIF Scheme remained in force, and held that so long as the PIF and additional PIF schemes remain in force, the appointments shall continue. The Apex Court, however, made it clear that the appointments shall be continued subject to the following conditions:--
(i) The circular dated 17.03.1995 is quashed. The appellants shall not be subjected to annual terminations and re-appointments (subject to observations in para 8 above).
(ii) The benefit of this order will be available to others similarly situated ad hoc border staff even if they have not approached the Court for relief. In view of the above, the interlocutory applications for impleading are disposed of as having become infructuous.
(iii) This order will not however come in the way of ad hoc employees working as Border staff, being subjected to any periodical medical examination or service review.
(Cri) (Emphasis is added).
4. After the decision in the case of Abdul Kadir's case (supra), as indicated above, the present petitioner put to challenge, by way of Writ Appeal No. 387 of 2009, the order, dated 04.01.2005, whereby his writ petition, namely, W.P. (C) 196 of 2002, had been dismissed.
5. Referring to the Supreme Court's order, dated 22.04.2009, passed in Civil Appeal N