Central Administrative Tribunal Principal Bench: New Delhi This the 8th day of December, 2025 Hon’ble Dr. Chhabilendra Roul, Member (A)

Hon’ble Mr. Rajveer Singh Verma, Member (J)

Laxman Prasad Meena, S/o Late Sh. Ram Rattan Meena, Ex Station Supdt., aged about 65 years, R/o V & PO – Danalpur, Tehsil – Shri Mahavirji, District – Karoli, Rajasthan – 322220 …Applicant (By Advocate: Mr. BC Nagar with Mr. A K Shukla)

Versus

1. Union of India, Through Secretary, Ministry of Railways, Rail Bhawan, Raisina Road, New Delhi – 110001

2. General Manager, Northern Railway, Baroda House, New Delhi – 110001

3. DRM, DRM’s Office, State Entry Road, New Delhi – 110006.

…Respondents (By Advocate: Dr. Dharam Deshna)

ORDER (ORAL)

Dr. Chhabilendra Roul, Member (A):

The present OA has been filed under Section 19 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 seeking the following relief:

“(i) to quash/ set-aside impugned order 10.06.2019 16.03.2021 and 28.09.2022 on the representation dated.21.09.2022 passed by the Railway Board, Ministry of Railways and order dated 28.09.2022 by DRM, Northern Railway, Delhi.

(ii) To direct the Respondents to include the period of training from 05.01.1987 to 20.10.1989 under gone by the applicant while determining the period of service for grant of benefit under ACP/MACP with all consequential benefit including arrear and interest.

(iii) any other relief, which this Hon’ble Tribunal may deem fit, just and proper in the circumstances of the case, may also be passed.

(iv) cost of the present case may be awarded in favor of the Applicant and against the respondents.”

2. Factual Matrix

2.1 The applicant, in the present OA, was initially appointed as Clerk under DCOS, Northern Railway, Jodhpur on 02.04.1982. Subsequently, he was selected as Traffic Inspector in the Grade of Rs 455-700 through the Railway Recruitment Board, Chandigarh on 04.10.1985 Annexure-A3). The Railway Recruitment Board, vide letter dated 04.10.1985, forwarded the name of the applicant to the Northern Railway, Baroda House for issuance of appointment letter after following requisite formalities. The Senior Personnel Officer, Northern Railway, New Delhi, vide letter dated 02.12.1986, informed the applicant to appear for medical examination and further intimated that he would undergo three years’ training commencing from 05.01.1987. Thereafter, Northern Railway Headquarters, vide letter dated 01.09.1989, directed the DRM, Northern Railway, Delhi that upon completion of more than two years of training from 05.01.1987 to 15/16.08.1989, the applicant be posted on a working post. After completion of training, the applicant was posted as Assistant Yard Master vide letter dated 21.10. 1989. He was promoted as Station Master with effect from 01.09.1993, and further promoted as Station Superintendent with effect from 01.11.2003. The applicant was granted 2nd MACP w.e.f. 01.09.2009. He retired from service on 31.05.2018.

2.2 Certain similarly placed Railway employees approached the Coordinate Bench of this Tribunal at Jabalpur in OA No.339/2006, wherein the Tribunal, vide order dated 21.8.2007, held that the training period is required to be treated as qualifying service for grant of ACP benefits. Similar relief was also granted by other Coordinate Benches, including the Cuttack Bench of this Tribunal. However, the similar orders of the Jabalpur Benches of this Tribunal were challenged in W.P. (C) No. 5415/2007 before the Hon’ble High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Gwalior, in W.P. (C) No. 18880/2015, and W.P. (C) No. 6963 of 2018 before the Hon’ble High Court of Odisha. The High Court vide their Order/Judgment dated 15.1.2014, 02.03.2016 and 03.01.2019, upheld the decisions of the Tribunal. Aggrieved thereby, the respondent Railways approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court, wherein all appeals were tagged with SLP (C) No. 32999/2014. The Hon’ble Supreme Court, vide judgment dated 22.10.2019, held that the period of training shall be treated as qualifying service for grant of ACP benefit