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PETITIONER: UNION OF INDIA & OTHERS

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: TARA CHAND SHARMA & OTHERS

DATE OF JUDGMENT19/10/1995

BENCH: VENKATASWAMI K. (J) BENCH: VENKATASWAMI K. (J) VERMA, JAGDISH SARAN (J)

CITATION:  1996 AIR  428            1995 SCC  (6) 589  1995 SCALE  (6)134

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT:                       J U D G M E N T K. VENKATASWAMI. J.           Delay condoned.           Leave granted.           Heard counsel  for both  sides. The short question that calls  for our consideration is whether the respondents 1-6 (hereinafter  referred to  as  ’respondents’)  who  were promoted temporarily  in the  posts created  for a  specific period can claim the right of continuance in said posts even after expiry  of  the  said  period.  Brief  facts  are  the following:           The  respondents  1-6  who  were  the  petitioners before the Central Administrative Tribunal were recruited as Assistant  Compilors-   LDCs  during  1980  and  were  later confirmed in the same posts by Order dated 26.5.1989. During 1991 Census  operations, 21  posts had  been  created  on  a short-term temporary  basis after  taking into consideration the increased  quantum of  work. The  said posts  have  been sanctioned  for fixed period and their continuation depended on the  receipt of further sanction. Factually the aforesaid temporary posts  created for 1991 Census were continued till December  1993  and  from  1.1.1994  those  temporary  posts created as above, ceased to exist.           On  the   basis  of   the  recommendations   of  a Departmental  Promotion   Committee,  the  respondents  were promoted to  the newly  created temporary posts of Computers by  Order  dated  10.10.1990.  It  is  true  that  that  the concerned officer  has issued satisfactory completion of the probation by  Order dated  12.4.1993 to  respondents in  the posts created for fixed period. It will be useful to set out the promotion  order (which  is common) dated 10.10.1990. It reads as follows:      Govt. of India      Ministry of Home Affairs           Directorates of Census Operations,

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         Rajasthan, Jaipur No.3958/F-48/Jan/Stha/75-II Dated 10.10.1990                 OFFICE ORDER                 -------------      On   the    recommendations    of    the Departmental   Promotion    Committee,    the following   Asstt.    Compilors    of    this Directorate are  promoted on  a regular basis in  temporary   capacity  on   the  post   of computers in the scale of Rs.1200-30-1560-EB- 40-2040 from  11.10.90 to  28.2.91. (Emphasis supplied) 1.   Shri Tarachand Sharma 2.   Shri B.L.Verma (A.JA) 3.   Smt. Asha Saxena 4.   Shri Sunil Garg 5.   Shri R.P. Verma           The  above   employees  will   remain  placed   on probation.                                              sd/-                                         (S.Pathak)                                         DY. Director           The term  fixed as  above, was continued until the letter  dated  30.11.93  was  circulated  by  the  Registrar General  informing  all  concerned  that  the  sanction  for temporary post  created in  connection with  the 1991 Census will end by 31.12.1993. The letter reads as follows:           "No. 2/4/90-RG (Ad.II)           Government of India           Ministry of Home Affairs           Office of the Registrar General,           India                          2A, Mansingh Road,                          New Delhi-110011,                          dated 30 November,                          1993      All Directors of Gensus Operations (including DRG (Language) Calcutta. Subject: Abolition of posts created in  conne          ction with 1991 Census - regarding      I am  directed to say that all the posts which were  created in  connection  with  the 1991 Census  are at  present sanctioned  upto 31.12.1993 only.  Therefore, they  will stand abolished on that date. In this connection, I am  directed   to   request   you   to   take consequential advance  action in  the matter. The proposals  for extension  etc.  of  these posts need not be sent.                          Yours faithfully,                               sd/-                          (Chandra Prakash)                          Assistant Director"      On the  basis of  the above  letter, the impugned Order which is  common, reverting  the  respondents,  came  to  be passed. It reads as follows:-      "Government of India      Ministry of Home Affairs      Directorate of Census Operations,      Rajasthan Rambagh Palace Annexe, Jaipur. No.4932/F-5/Cen/Estt/93-16   Dated 30.12.1993                 OFFICE ORDER      Consequent upon the expiry of sanction on 31.12.1993 of the  posts  created  for  the  1991  Census,  the  following officials of  this Directorate  who are  working against the

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posts shown  against their  names in  Column No.3, on purely temporary basis,are  hereby  reverted  on  the  posts  shown against  their   names  in  Column  No.4  with  effect  from 31.12.1993 (Afternoon): S.No.   Name                Present Post   Post on Reversion 1.    Sh. Rajendra Prasad       Verma                  Computer     Assistant Compilor 2.    Sh. Sunil Kumar Garg   Computer     Assistant Compilor 3.    Smt. Asha Saxena       Computer     Assistant Compilor 4.    Sh. Babu Lal Verma     Computer     Assistant Compilor 5.    Sh. Tara Chand Sharma  Computer     Assistant Compilor 6.    Sh. Om Prakash Badaya  Computer     Assistant Compilor 7.    Sh. Ramesh Chand Baiwa Computer     Assistant Compilor 8.    Sh. Mohar Pal Meena    Computer     Assistant Compilor      All the  above officials will continue to work in their present sections till further orders.                                              sd/-                                         (R. C. Bhargava)                                         Deputy Director                                         (Head of Office)"      This  order   of  reversion   was  challenged   by  the respondents 1-6  before the Tribunal. The petitioners sought to sustain  the impugned  reversion order on the ground that the temporary  posts created  for a  fixed  term  have  been abolished and  the junior  most computers  were consequently reverted.      Though the  abolition of  temporary posts  of Computers were brought  to the  notice of  the Tribunal  orally in the absence of any record (as the one produced before us namely, letter of  Registrar General dated 30.11.1993), the Tribunal was not  prepared to accept the the statement that the posts temporarily created  were abolished.  In fact  the  Tribunal observed as follows:-      "We have  also been shown an order dated      13.8.1993 abolishing  certain Group  ’C’      posts  other   than  Computers   in  the      Directorate  of  Census  Operations.  No      such order  for abolition  of  posts  of      Compilors  (Sid)  (Computers)  has  been      produced  before   us,  though   in  the      counter filed  by the respondents, it is      indicated that  21  temporary  posts  of      Computers were  created for  the purpose      of  1991  Census  which  are  no  longer      available after 1.1.1994."      Substantially on the above basis the Tribunal set aside the impugned reversion order.      Learned counsel appearing for the Respondents, however, placed  reliance  on  the  fact  of  Orders  issued  to  the Respondents regarding  satisfactory completion  of probation and contended  that in  view of such orders, the respondents cannot be  reverted. We do not think that we can accept this contention of  the learned  counsel for  the respondents. On the facts  of this  case, we  have seen  that the  order  of promotion itself  in unmistakable  terms indicated  that the promotions were  temporary and then the fact of abolition of posts created  for fixed  period is  not in  dispute. In any event, that fact of abolition of posts is now established by document produced before us, namely, the letter of Registrar General of  India dated  30.11.1993 extracted above. In view of the  established  position  that  the  posts  temporarily created to which posts respondents were temporarily promoted having been  abolished, the  respondents  cannot  raise  any objection for  the consequential reversion orders. We answer the question posed in the beginning in the negative.

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    We make  it clear that we are not called upon to decide the factual  question  whether  any  junior/juniors  to  the respondents  were   retained  causing   prejudice   to   the respondents, as this matter was left open by the Tribunal to be agitated independently.      In the  result, we  set aside  the common  order of the Tribunal and  allow the  appeals. There  is no  order as  to costs.