Point of Law: Expression ‘further consequential benefits’ would have to be understood to mean of such consequential benefits of promotion i.e. further promotions that petitioner may be entitled having his date of earlier promotion.

JUDGMENT :

ACHINTYA MALLA BUJOR BARUA, J.

1. Heard Mr. D.K. Sarmah, learned counsel for the petitioner and Ms. S. Baruah, learned CGC for the respondent No. 1, being the Union of India through the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Also heard Mr. S.P. Choudhury, learned counsel for the respondents No. 2, 3 and 4, being the authorities under the National Institute of Technology, Silchar (NIT, Silchar).

2. The petitioner was appointed as a Lecturer in the respondent NIT, Silchar on 26.06.1995. The petitioner claims for the benefit of Career Advancement Scheme for Teachers of Degree Level Technical Institution (CAS) provided by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Clause 1.0 of the CAS provides that the minimum length of service for eligibility to move into the grade of Lecturer (Senior Scale) would be four years for those with Ph.D., five years for those with M.Phil. and M.Tech and six years for others at the level of Lecturer. The petitioner belongs to the category of having M.Tech. and therefore, the minimum length of service for moving to the Lecturer (Senior Grade) would be five years. Accordingly, the petitioner made a claim for the benefit of CAS at the end of five years of his service as Lecturer. The said request was accepted by the respondent in the NIT, Silchar from 17.01.2004 but not from the date when he had completed five years.

3. Being aggrieved, W.P. (C) No. 5967/2007 was instituted by the petitioner against the respondent NIT, Silchar, which was given a final consideration by the order dated 12.02.2009. In the said writ petition, a stand was taken by the respondent authorities that as per the O.M. dated 04.03.2004 of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, Department of Secondary and Higher Education, the benefit of CAS as per the O.M. dated 15.09.2003 was clarified to the effect that the date of giving actual monetary benefit shall be the date of the meeting of the Board of Governors (BOG) of the NIT concerned. The said stand of the NIT was discussed by this Court in its judgment dated 12.02.2009, in paragraph 15 thereof. In paragraph 16, a conclusion was arrived at that the reason for giving different effective dates of promotion and/or placement in the senior scale by the Selection Committee was not discernible and that it was one thing to say that the BOG was bound by the recommendations made by the Selection Committee and it was another thing to say that the Selection Committee was entitled to make recommendations of the incumbents from different dates. If there were variations in the recommendations made relating to the effective date of placement, the reasons thereof should be discernible and in the case before the Court, no reason was discernible. Accordingly, a conclusion was arrived that the claim of the petitioner requires a fresh consideration upon a correct interpretation of the Office Memorandums.

4. Accordingly, in paragraph 19 thereof, a direction was issued to the respondents in the NIT, Silchar to give a fresh consideration to the case of the petitioner in accordance with the guidelines holding the field. Paragraph 19 of the judgment dated 12.02.2009 further provides as extracted:

“If upon such examination, it is found that the petitioner is entitled to get his placement with retrospective effect as has been claimed by him i.e. with effect from 26.6.2000 or from any other earlier date than 17.1.2004, consequential orders thereof, shall be passed with further consequential benefits to which the petitioner may be entitled to.”

5. Pursuant to the requirements of the directions in paragraph 19 of the judgment dated 12.02.2009 in W.P. (C) No. 5967/2007, the order dated 02.04.2010 had been issued by the Registrar, NIT, Silchar, by which it was provided that the BOG in its 23rd meeting held on 30.03.2010 under item No. 06 had accepted the recommendation of CAS Committee and approved the promotion of the petitioner Shri Dilip Datta from Lecturer to Lecturer (Sen