2016 Supreme(All) 731
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : A.P. SAHI AND VIVEK KUMAR BIRLA, JJ.
SINGH MUKESH KUMAR ....Appellant
Versus
STATE OF U.P. AND OTHERS ....Respondents
(Special Appeal No. 1182 of 2008, decided on 24th May, 2016)
Counsel :
Umakant and Ram Prakash Shukla for the Appellant; C.S.C., Ranjan Srivastava and Manish Goyal for the Respondents.
.
Headnote:U.P. Subordinate Civil Courts Inferior Establishment Rules, 1955—Rule 4(2)—Appointment—On post of Farrash in District Judgeship of Jalaun at Orai—Neither selection procedure adopted nor an advertisement made nor any waiting list prepared—District Judge arbitrarily appointed appellant without following procedure—Held, to be in violation of Rule 4(2) of Rules, 1955. [Paras 6 to 8]
Result; Appeal Dismissed.
By the Court.—Heard Sri Umakant, learned counsel for the appellant and Sri Manish Goyal, learned counsel for the respondents.
2. The matter relates to the appointment on the post of Farrash in the district judgeship of Jalaun at Orai. The services of the appellant were dispensed with in the circumstances that have been already indicated in detail by the learned Single Judge.
3. The two issues that fell for consideration in relation to the claim of the appellant as well as other employees, were, as to whether the appointments had been preceded by a valid advertisement and secondly whether a valid selection procedure had been followed in terms of the U.P. Subordinate Civil Courts Inferior Establishment Rules, 1955 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘1955 Rules’). While proceeding to record findings, the learned Single Judge even though proceeded to hold that the judgement in the case of Sachin Kumar v. State of UP, 2005 ALJ 3100, would apply prospectively, yet advertisement was a necessary concomitant of the selection procedure but the judgement would not apply retrospectively. On the issue of the selection procedure having been violated, the learned Single Judge took up the individual cases separately and recorded separate findings.
4. The writ petition filed by the appellant, namely, writ petition No. 56744 of 2006 was dismissed by recording the following findings:
“In Writ Petition 56744 of 2006, the petitioner Singh Mukesh Kumar was appointed as Farrash for a period of three months. A Farrash can only be appointed from a waiting list under Rule 4(2) of the Rules of 1955 which contemplates appointments by direct recruitment after due advertisement and a selection process. Further, a waiting list is required to be prepared under Rule 12 of the Rules. The counter-affidavit as well as the record reveals that no selection procedure was adopted nor an advertisement was made nor any waiting listing was prepared and that the District Judge had arbitrarily appointed the said petitioner without following the procedure. Consequently, this Court is of the opinion, that the discretion exercised by the District Judge in giving an appointment to the petitioner, Singh Mukesh Kumar, was in complete violation of Rules 4(2) of the Rules of 1955. Consequently, the said petitioner Singh Mukesh Kumar is not entitled for any relief and his writ petition is dismissed.”
Rule 4(2) of the 1955 Rules as has been indicated therein is extracted in its entirety hereinafter:
“4. Method of recruitment.—Recruitment to the following posts in the establishment shall be made:
(1) Daftaries and bundle lifters.—By promotion strictly on merits from amongst process-servers,orderlies, office peons, and farrashes who have put in at least five years’ service as such:
Provided that no person shall be promoted to these posts unless he is able to read and writ Hindi in Devnagri Script with correctness and fluency and can discharge the duties of the office satisfactorily and in the case of the post of daftari unless he also knows book-binding.
(2) Process servers, orderly peons, office peons and farrashes. (a) by appointment of candidates on the waiting list prepared under rule 12 or,
(b) by transfer from one post to another according to suitability.
(3) Chawkidars, malis, waterman and sweepers.—By direct recruitment on the discretion of District Judge.”
5. A perusal thereof clearly indicates that a selection procedure is envisaged therein and, therefore, the appointment to the post of process servers, orderly peons, office peons and farrashes could have been made only under the aforesaid prescribed procedure as per Rule 4(2) of 1955 Rules.
6. The respondents had filed a counter-affidavit that was taken notice of by the learned Single Judge and relying on the aforesaid rules, the conclusion was drawn that the said process has not been followed. Even before us, no material has been brought on record that may impel us to take a different view with regard to the procedu