IN THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT (HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH)
MANISH CHOUDHURY, J.
Monoranjan Sarma S/o Lt. Gopeswar Sarma – Appellant
Versus
The State Of Assam And 4 Ors – Respondent
WP(C) 4791 of 2015
Decided on : 14-02-2023
Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 226, 14, 16 - Appointment - Regularization of service - Prayers for setting aside of an Order passed and to grant consequential benefits; secondly, for setting aside of appointment of respondent no. 5 with all consequential benefits; and thirdly, for directing State respondents to provicialize service of writ petitioner with retrospective effect from year by absorbing him in a permanent post of Lower Division Assistant [LDA] – Held, Prayer of the petitioner for regularization of his service and the proposal of the respondent no. 3 for regularization/provincialization of service of petitioner cannot be acceded to and observing so, prayer and proposal were declined after their examination in light of principles laid down by Constitution Bench of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Secretary, State of Karnataka and others vs. Uma Devi - Petitioner’s such engagement in Cadre Management Society came to an end in May, 1997 and there was no further engagement thereafter - Having considered principles laid down in decision vis-à-vis service history of petitioner in Cadre Management Society, Court finds that principles laid down in Secretary, State of Karnataka and others vs. Uma Devi [3] and others [supra] are applicable proprio vigore in case of petitioner also and respondent no. 1 has rightly followed same in arriving at decision by Order - Court finds no good and sufficient reason to interfere Order and to allow any of reliefs/directions sought for in writ petition – Petition dismissed.
JUDGMENT :
The instant writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India has been instituted by the writ petitioner with three-fold prayers, firstly, for setting aside of an Order dated 13.06.2014 passed by the State Government in the Co-operation Department through the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam, Co-operation Department, and to grant consequential benefits to the writ petitioner; secondly, for setting aside of the appointment of the respondent no. 5 with all consequential benefits; and thirdly, for directing the State respondents to provicialize the service of the writ petitioner with retrospective effect from the year 1994 by absorbing him in a permanent post of Lower Division Assistant [LDA] in the Co-operation Department with all consequential benefits.
2. Before consideration of the respective contentions of the parties, it is apposite to take notice of the case, in brief, projected by the petitioner herein. The petitioner, a graduate, stated to have received an information that there was requirement of a Lower Division Assistant [LDA] in the establishment of the Assam Cadre Management Co-operative Society Limited [‘the Cadre Management Society’, for short]. Having received the information, the petitioner approached the Chairman of the Cadre Management Society and as per the advice of the Chairman of the Cadre Management Society, the petitioner submitted an application before the Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of the Cadre Management Society. On receipt of the application from the petitioner, the CEO of the Cadre Management Society recommended the case of the petitioner for his engagement as an Assistant to the Chairman of the Cadre Management Society. It is stated that there was a resolution in the form of Resolution no. 5 taken by the Board of Directors of the Cadre Management Society on 07.01.1993. It is the case of the petitioner that he came to be appointed as Casual Lower Division Assistant [LDA] in the establishment of the Cadre Management Society by an Office Order no. ACE.133/90/52 dated 30.03.1993 issued on the strength of the Resolution no. 5 dated 07.01.1993 [supra]. The said Office Order dated 30.03.1993 is, however, not part of the case record. Pursuant to the Office Order dated 30.03.1993 [supra], the petitioner stated to have joined as Casual Lower Division Assistant [LDA] by submitting a joining letter dated 01.04.1993 before the CEO of the Cadre Management Society. After joining as Casual Lower Division Assistant [LDA], the petitioner continued to render his services while submitting representations before the authorities from time to time with the prayer to place him in the regular cadre of Lower Division Assistant [LDA].
3. By a Notification dated 22.09.1994 issued under the hand of the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Assam, Co-operation Department, the State Government provincialized the services of 516 nos. of Cadre Secretaries serving in the Cadre Management Society in the rank of Junior Inspectors/Auditors of Co-operative Societies in the Co-operation Department, Government of Assam. By the Notification, 2 [two] nos. of posts of Upper Division Assistant [UDA], 5 [five] nos. of posts of Lower Division Assistant [LDA], 1 [one] no. of post of Driver and 2 [two] nos. of posts of Grade-IV, maintained and administered by the Cadre Management Society, were also provincialized w.e.f. the date of issuance of the Notification. The Notification further mentioned that on provincialization of their services, the posts those incumbents were holding in the Cadre Management Society would cease to exist. The Notification further mentioned that for completion of other formalities consequent upon provincialization of the services of the employees of the Cadre Management Society, necessary orders would be issued in due course.
4. The petitioner found that he was not treated as an incumbent holding one of the 5 [five] nos. of posts of Lower Division Assistant [LDA], whic
An uncommunicated termination is invalid, and continuous service is essential for provincialization under the relevant educational act.
The main legal point established in the judgment is the entitlement to regularisation under G.O.Ms.No.212, dated 22.04.1994, and the applicability of this provision to the petitioner's case.
The main legal point established in the judgment is the application of principles of seniority, regularisation of ad-hoc appointments, and the constitutional provisions of Article 14, 16, and 21 in r....
Continuous service is essential for eligibility for provincialisation under the Assam Education Act, and valid termination negates claims for such benefits.
Point of Law : It would show that Commissioner and Secretary on basis of inconsistencies as regards multiple dates of appointment recorded in different official records had rejected claim of Petition....
Temporary or casual employment does not confer legal rights to regularization; adherence to proper recruitment processes is mandatory for permanent appointments.
The court affirmed that the petitioner, having been appointed prior to provincialization, has a right to regularization based on continuous service as established by credible documentation.
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