Anil Kumar Chowdhury Vs. State of
Assam & Ors [1975] INSC 64 (7 March 1975)
KRISHNAIYER, V.R.
KRISHNAIYER, V.R.
RAY, A.N. (CJ) MATHEW, KUTTYIL KURIEN
CITATION: 1975 AIR 1061 1975 SCR (3) 878 1975
SCC (4) 7
ACT:
I.A.S. (Appointment by promotion) Regulations,
1955--Rule 3(3)(b)--Whether holding posts equivalent to cadre post but not
declared to be so sufficient compliance with rule 3 (3) (b)--Whether gap of one
week breaks the continuity in service.
HEADNOTE:
The petitioner joined Assam Civil Service Class
I in 1949 and was confirmed as such in 1957. In 1961 he was included in the
Select List prepared under the provisions of the I.A.S. (Appointment by
Promotion) Regulations, 1955. He was admittedly functioning in senior posts
equivalent to cadre posts reserved for I.A.S. personnel right from the year
1960 till he was inducted in I.A.S. cadre except for a weeks gap in 1966. The
petitioner claims to be placed in the I.A.S.
Gradation List above Serial No. 34 and not at
Serial No. 65 on the ground that the services rendered by him between 1960-67
should be taken into consideration for determining his real length of service.
Rule 3(3)(b) of the Indian Administrative Service (Regulation of Seniority)
Rules, 1954 reads as under:
"Rule 3(3)-The year of allotment of an
Officer appointed to the service after the commencement of these rules shall be
:
(b) Where the Officer is appointed to the
service by promotion in accordance with sub- rule (1) of Rule 8 of the
Recruitment Rules, the year of allotment of the junior-most among the officers
recruited to the service in accordance with rule 7 of these rules, who
officiated continuously in a senior post from a date earlier than the date of
commencement of such officiation by the former.
Provided that the year of allotment of an
officer appointed to the service in accordance with sub-rule (1) of Rule 8 of
the recruitment rules who started officiating continuously in a senior post
from a date earlier than the date on which any of the officers recruited to the
service in accordance with rule 7 of these rules, so started officiating, shall
be determined ad hoc by the Central Government in consultation with the State
Government concerned.
Provided further that an officer appointed to
the service after the commencement of these rules in accordance with sub-rule
(1), of rule 8 of the recruitment rules shall he deemed to have been
officiating continuously in a senior post prior to date of inclusion of his
name in the 'Select List' prepared in accordance with the requirements of the
Indian Administrative Service (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations framed
under sub-rule (1) of rule 8 of the Recruitment Rules, if the period of such
officiation prior to that date is approved by the Central Government in
consultation with the Commission.
Explanation 1.-The officer shall be deemed to
have officiated continuously in a senior post from a certain date if during the
period from that date to the date of his confirmation in the Senior Grade he
continues to hold without any break or reversion, a senior post otherwise than
as a purely temporary or local arrangement." The various posts held by the
petitioner during the period 1960-67 were cadre posts rank wise. Those posts
were not formally declared equivalent to cadre posts as required by rule 3(3)
(b). In effect some of the posts held by the petitioner during the period in
question were superior to the cadre posts.
HELD : Although the petitioner has occupied
responsible positions vis-a-vis ,cadre post. the formal requirements of rule
3(3) (b) are basic to his claim for pre-dating his entry into the I.A.S.
Secondly, the rule requires as a condition 879 precedent that officiation must
be in a particular post declared as cadre post by the State Government with the
approval of the Central Government. The argument that the declaration of the
State Government must be inferred from the counter affidavit filed in this
Court was negatived on the ground that the Governments speak and act formally
and in solemn writing and not informally. Even if it is assumed that the State
Government has made such a declaration in the counter affidavit no such
declaration has been approved by the Central Government as required. [883 D-E,
G-H; 884 D]
HELD FURTHER : The petitioner's officiation
was not continuous since there was a gap of one week and that, therefore, the
legal ingredient of continuity in service is not covered up. It was observed
that this Court hopes that the State will have compassionate regard to the
substantial fulfilment of the qualifications for pre-dating petitioner's
seniority in the I.A.S. when promotional prospects arise not because the
petitioner has a right but because his past should not altogether be lost. [884
D-F]
ORIGINAL JURISDICTION : Writ Petition No. 379
of 1972.
Petition Under Article 32 of the
Constitution.
Sachin Choudhury, U. P. Singh, Sukumar Mitter
and S. N.
Choudhry, for the Petitioner.
S. K. Nandy, for respondent No. 1.
L. N. Sinha, Solicitor General of India, P.
P. Rao and Girish Chandra; for respondent No. 2.
D. N. Mukherjee and G. S. Chatterjee, for
respondent Nos. 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 31 & 32.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by-
KRISHNA IYER, J.-A senior civil servant of the Indian Administrative Service,
brought in by promotion and borne on the cadre of the Assam State (now of the
joint cadre of Assam & Meghalaya), seeks, in this petition under Art. 32,
redress of alleged infraction of his fundamental right to equality under Art.
16, vis a vis certain direct recruits.
We will proceed to scan the case to see if,
on the merits, this public servant has suffered a big illegal blow by
disminishing his length of service, that being the core of the controversy. For
this reason, we are not disposed to rebuff the petitioner in limine on the
preliminary objection urged by the learned Solicitor General To bar the
processual doors of justice like harsh judicial janitors-if one has a right to
relief-is the reluctant refuge of a Court-and that at the instance of the
State, at the final stage.
Stripped of details and in simple, terms, the
gravamen of the petitioner's grievance is that while he is eligible to be
placed above serial number 34 in the I.A.S. Gradation List (Annxure F), he has
been illegally pitch-forked into serial number 65. His real length of service
has been lopped off by denial of a considerable period pent in posts equivalent
in status & responsibility to I.A.S. cadre posts and in violation of Rule
3(3) of the I.A.S. (Regulation of Seniority) Rules, 1954. We will amplify this
case and examine the alleged infraction of his right.
880 The story of the Indian Administrative
Service, its genesis, the sources of recruitment and kindred matters have been
delienated in some detail in a case where rule 3 (3) (b) aforesaid fell for
consideration. That is R. P. Khanna v. S., A. F. Abbas(1). We need not go over
the ground once again since the necessary rules and regulations have been fully
set out in that judgment so that we will continue our- selves to the specific
provision that needs a close look.
The 1954 Cadre Rules defined `cadre post' to
meaN any of the posts specified in item 1 of the Schedule to the Indian
Administrative Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations. Another term
which crops up in the various rules is 'senior post' which means. according to
the Regulation of Seniority Rules, 1954, a post included and specified under
item 1 of the Cadre of each State in the Schedule to the Fixation of Cadre
Strength Regulations, 1955. The question of seniority as between promotees and
direct recruits is covered by r. 3 (3) (b) of the Indian Administrative Service
(Regulation of Seniority) Rules, 1954. The crucial rule that is decisive may be
extracted to facilitate further discussion :
"Rule 3(3)-The year of allotment of an
Officer appointed to the service after the commencement of these rules shall be
(b) Where the officer is appointed to the service by promotion in accordance
with sub- rule (1) of Rule 8 of the Recruitment Rules, the year of allotment of
the junior most among the officers recruited to the service in accordance with
rule 7 of these rules, who officiated continuously in a Senior Post from a date
earlier than the date of commencement of such officiation by the former.
Provided that the year of allotment of an
officer appointed to the service in accordance with sub-rule (1) of Rule 8 of
the recruitment rules who started officiating continuously in a senior post
from a date earlier than the date on which any of the Officers recruited to the
service in accordance with rule 7 of these rules, so started officiating shall
be determined ad hoc by the Central Government in consultation with the State
Government concerned.
Provided further that an officer appointed to
the service after the commencement of these rules in accordance with sub-rule
(1) of rule 8 of the recruitment rules shall be deemed to have been officiating
continuously in a senior post prior to the date of inclusion of his name in the
'Select List' prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Indian
Administrative Service (Appointment by Promotion) regulations framed under
sub-rule (i) of rule 8 of the recruitment Rules, if the period of such
officiation prior to that date is approved by the Central Government in
consultation with the Commission.
(1) [1972] 3 S.C.R. 548.
881 Explanation 1.-The officer shall be
deemed to have officiated continuously in a Senior Post from a certain date if
during the period from that date to the date of his confirmation in the Senior
Grade he continues to hold without any break or reversion, a Senior post
otherwise than as a purely temporary or local arrangement." (emphasis,
ours) The four-fold components of the 'year of allotment formula' emerging from
the cumbrous rule are (a) the year of allotment of the, juniormost among the officers
recruited to the service by the direct method; (b) the year from when the
claimant officer 'officiated continuously in a senior post from a date earlier
than the date of commencement of like officiation by the juniormost direct
recruit of the year;
(c) the promotee shall be deemed to have been
officiating continuously in a senior post even prior to his inclusion in the
select list 'if the period of such officiation is approved by the Central
Government in consultation with the (Union Public Service) Commission'; and (d)
the deemed continuous officiation in a senior post shall have its genesis on
that date from which 'he continues to hold without arty break or reversion a
senior post otherwise than as a purely temporary or local arrangement'. The
applicant has thus four hurdles to surmount before he can WA his prior
officiating service and ante-date his baptism into the IAS category.
Back to the facts. The petitioner came into
the Assam Civil Service, Class I, in 1949, was confirmed as such in 1957 and
since than spiralled his way up to MI a set of responsible positions. By the
end of 1961 he was included in the Select List prepared under the provisions of
the I.A.S.
(Appointment by Promotion) Regulation. 1955.
Although this officer was admittedly functioning in senior positions equivalent
to cadre posts reserved for IAS personnel, his actual induction into this
coveted Indian Administrative Service took place only on February 1, 1967 and
his confirmation therein, in the Senior Scale, only a year later. The dispute
centres round the claim of the petitioner to credit for alleged continuous
officiation in his offices, equivalent to cadre posts, while fixing his date of
birth into this privileged AU India Service. His official horoscope and even
post-retirement prospects will very much depend on the year of entry into this
close IAS preserve.
The impressive set of posts occupied by the
petitioner do credit to his claim. They begin with June 2, 1960 and run on
without a break upto when he was regularly promoted into the IAS except for a
week's gap early in March 1966. The contra-temps is that while rank-wise these
offices are cadre posts when the petitioner filled them, no declaration as
demanded by the relevant rule 3 (3) (b) had been made. This legal omission is
being pressed into service by the Solicitor General to deny what in morality
belongs to the petitioner.
The bone of contention is that these posts
were, not formally declared equivalent to 'cadre posts' with the Union
Government's approval and service therein was insufficient to back the right
set up.
882 Moreover, there was an interregnum of a
week when, on his Own showing, he was not officiating in a cadre post. A miss
is as good as a mile and continuity means continuity. The short hiatus destroys
the credential for seniority accumulated by long officiation. We will deal with
these submissions in opposition in the background of the relevant law.
The capacities in which the petitioner served
Government since 1960 are catalogued by him and asserted to be 'factually
equivalent to the post of Additional District Magistrate and in fact superior
to that post'. The Additional District Magistrate's post is a cadre post
reserved for IAS personnel. The short issue here is whether legally these
various posts were declared cadre posts. They were not.
We have no doubt that the petitioner has
occupied responsible positions vis-a-vis cadre posts. Even so, the formal
requirements of the rule just quoted are basic to his claim for adding special
antecedent merit to pre-date his entry into the IAS. We may safely proceed on
the facts affirmed in the counter-affidavit of the Union of India since no
exception can ordinarily be, or has been, taken to that course. Paragraph 3.1
of that affidavit states :
"on a careful scrutiny of the relevant
records, however, it is seen that the petitioner, Shri Anil Kumar Choudhary,
was actually officiating in the non-cadre post of Additional Deputy
Commissioner, United Mikar and North Cachar Hills and held the current charge
of the post of Deputy Commissioner, United Mikar and North Cachar Hills. When
the proposal for the appointment of Shri Anil Kumar Choudhary and the
determination of his seniority was sent for the first time by the Government of
Assam, under their No. AAI/56/64 dated 1st June, 1966, the Government of Assam
had indicated that Shri Anil Kumar Choudhary was holding the non-cadre post of
Additional District Magistrate, United Mikar and North Cachar Hills with effect
from 9-12-1964 to 3-3-1966. A copy of the proposal sent by them is given as
Annexure S-II to this Supplementary Counter Affidavit.
Subsequently, the Government of Assam issued
orders on 19th August 1966 appointing Shri Anil Kumar Choudhary retrospectively
appointing the petitioner to officiate as Deputy Commissioner, United Mikar and
North Cachar Hills, with effect from the 10th December, 1964 to the 2nd March,
1966. A copy of the said order of the Government of Assam is exhibited as
Annexure S-II to this Supplementary Counter Affidavit." The plain
consequence of this denial is disastrous because the posts he had occupied in
the intervening years anterior to his appointment as IAS officer are non-cadre
posts and cannot, therefore, possess the sanctity which officiation in
cadre-posts may have. Secondly, the rule requires, as a condition precedent,
officiation in a particular post 883 declared as cadre post by the State
Government plus approval thereof, by the Central Government. The affidavit on
behalf of the Central Government has categorically stated thus :
"From the 9th March, 1966, till the date
of his appointment to the service that is 1st Feb. 1967, he held non-cadre post
of Chairman, Gauhati Development Authority and Liaison Officer, Industries. His
officiation in the cadre post was not approved and his officiation in the ex
cadre post was not counted for the purposes of his seniority because the ex
cadre post of Chairman, Gauhati Development Authority and Liaison Officer,
Industries was not declared equivalent to a Cadre post by the State Government.
Hence, the date of his appointment to the Service was the relevant date for the
fixation of his seniority." (emphasis. ours) We have already pointed out
with reference to the rule in question that the declaration of equivalence has
to be made by the State Government. Counsel for the petitioner rightly argues
that such declaration can be made ex-post facto and there is authority of this
Court for that proposition vide R. P. Khanna's Case, (supra). However, Shri
Sachin Choudhary is not able to put his finger on any specific declaration of
equivalence made by the State Government except to state that in the counter
affidavit by the State Government there is a statement admitting the post of
Additional District Magistrate and those higher in rank claimed to have been occupied
by the petitioner to be factually correct. Super-added is the State's averment
which goes in substantiation of the petitioner's contention and may well be
extracted :
"The posts mentioned in sub-paras (i) to
(v) are equivalent to cadre posts of Additional District Magistrate Deputy
Secretary or Settlement Officer. The post mentioned in sub-para (vi) is a cadre
post and the posts mentioned in sub-para (vii) were regarded in rank, status,
and responsibility as above the cadre posts of Additional District Magistrate
and Deputy Secretary. These posts are equivalent to the cadre post of Deputy
Commissioners or Heads of Departments post like Commissioner of Taxes and
Registrar of Cooperative Societies of the I.A.S. Cadre." Could there be a
declaration without a formal notification to that effect? We think not.
Governments speak and act formally and in solemn writing, not informally. In
the present case no formal declaration is found but the State Government is
prepared to go to the extent of helping the petitioner with the Statement
"Formal declarations under Rule 9 of the I.A.S. (Pay) Rules, 1954, are not
necessary when non cadre officers bold such ex cadre equivalent posts."
Shri Sachin Choudhary uses this averment to contend that the State Government's
affidavit may be treated as a formal declaration of 884 equivalence but the
difficulty is that there has been an amendment of the Rules in April 1967
whereby the power of the State Government to make retroactive declarations is
deleted. Moreover, as the Solicitor General points out such declaration as is
found to have been made by the State has reference to the Pay Rules and not the
Seniority Rules bear upon the present dispute.
Another impediment confronting the
unfortunate petitioner is that the proviso to Rule 3(3)(b) requires not merely
the State Government's declaration regarding the posts being equal to cadre
post but such officiation must be with the approval of the Central Government ;
none such is forthcoming. And, indeed, the absence of such approval is the
stand of the Central Government. The Solicitor General not content with these
vital flaws points out two more shortcomings. In his submission, some of the
posts occupied by the petitioner were purely temporary and this is testified by
the record. And so such shortterm ad hoc officiation is insufficient. Moreover,
there is a break in the officiating service of the petitioner between March 3,
1966 and March, 9, 1966. Continuity once disrupted, the claim breaks down.
Service for long years comes to nought merely because of a week's
discontinuity. In law a short gap may prove a costly failure. The plea that
this little interval was bridged by the Joining time taken by the official may
be good as an explanation for not taking charge immediately, but cannot cover
up the legal ingredient of continuity in service.
True, on account of certain formal
non-conformance with the strictness of the rules, the petitioner loses the
battle, but we hope the State will have compassionate regard to the substantial
fulfillment of the qualifications for pre-dating his seniority in the IAS the
rules predicate. The long but unavailing officiating experience of the
petitioner may judiciously be taken into account by the State when ,promotional
prospects arise, is not because the petitioner has a right but because his past
should not altogether be lost.
The writ petition is dismissed. Parties will
pay and bear their costs.
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