http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 1 of 4  

PETITIONER: U.P. JAL NIGAM & ORS.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: DURGA PRASAD SINGH & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT02/12/1994

BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. VENKATACHALA N. (J)

CITATION:  1995 SCC  Supl.  (1) 440 JT 1995 (2)   348  1994 SCALE  (5)254

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT: ORDER 1.   Leave granted in SLPs -No.8106 and 8264 of 1994. 2.   These appeals by special leave arise from the judgments of  the  Division Bench of the High Court  of  Allahabad  in W.P.No.72(SB)/94 and 114(SB)/94 dated 18.3.93. The facts are that  the  respondents were temporarily appointed  on  adhoc basis  as  Assistant  Engineers in  U.P.  Local  Self  Govt. Engineering  Department.  On an earlier occasion, when  writ petition  was filed, the High Court adjudicated the  dispute and  had  observed in its order dated January 14,  1993,  in W.P.No.8504/87 at paragraphs 17 and 18 thereof thus :               "It  follows from the conclusions  arrived  at               above  that  the Jal Nigam  must  publish  the               merit list prepared by the Selection Committee               and  take  necessary  action  for  determining               seniority  according to that list.  The  merit               list  could not be produced by the  Jal  Nigam               before   the   Tribunal.   ’Mere   are   three               alternatives.   First that the original  merit               list  is  traced out by the Jal Nigam  and  is               acted  upon after considering  objections,  if               any, which may be jade against the same by the               concerned  Assistant  Engineers.   The  second               alternative is that if the original merit list               is  not  traceable,  an  attempt  is  made  to               reconstruct  and  publish the same  and  after               inviting objections thereto from the concerned               Assistant  Engineers  and  disposing  of   the               objections  action is taken according to  law.               The third alternative is that the copy of  the               merit list reduced by the claimants before the               Tribunal is taken into account for determining               seniority  provided  the  genuineness  of  the               merit  list  is accepted by  all  the  persons               affected by it after opportunity for the  same

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 2 of 4  

             is  given  to them by the Jal  Nigam  in  this               behalf.  In case none of these alternatives is               feasible,  there can no other court left  open               for the Jal Nigam except to constitute a fresh               selection  committee under the relevant  rules               for the purposes of drawing a fresh merit list               of the parties concerned on the basis               349               of  their  performance  as  indicated  by  the               available records upto December 26, 1977.  The               whole  exercise  must be  completed  within  a               period of two months.               After  hearing  the learned  counsel  for  the               parties  at great length, I have come  to  the               conclusion that the writ petition deserves  to               be allowed.  The writ petition is  accordingly               allowed and the impugned judgment and order of               the U.P.Public Services Tribunal dated  1.7.87               is  hereby  quashed.  The  impugned  seniority               list dated 26.12.1977 is also quashed.  It  is               directed that the U.P. Jal Nigam shall draw  a               fresh  seniority list in accordance with,  the               relevant service rules which were in force  on               26.12.1977. The fresh seniority list shall  be               drawn  within a period of two months from  the               date  on which a copy of this  order/judgrnent               is  produced before the  competent  authority.               In  drawing the seniority list, the  U.P.  Jal               Nigam  shall take into account the merit  list               alleged to have been prepared by the  claiment               before  the  aforesaid Tribunal  provided  the               genuineness  of the merit list is accepted  by               all the persons affected by it after  opportu-               nity for the same is given to them by the  Jal               Nigam  in this behalf In case the  genuineness               of  the  merit  list is not  accepted  by  the               parties then it will be open to the Jai  Nigam               to  constitute a fresh Selection Committee  as               required  under  the relevant  rules  for  the               purposes.   Of  determining the merit  of  the               parties  concerned, the fresh  seniority  list               shall  be  finally prepared  after  giving  an               opportunity  to the parties concerned to  show               cause against the same.  In any case the whole               exercise must be completed within a period  of               two  months as already indicated.  Parties  to               bear their own cost.  Reasons will follow. 3.   Since  the  record  has not been  traced  out  and  the officers who dealt with the matter at the relevant point  of time  though were contacted, could not assist the  U.P.  Jal Nigam in tracing the record, they lodged the F.I.R. with the police  to investigate into the persons responsible for  the destruction  of the record.  Consequently, the  last  option given by the High Court in the said order viz.  constitution of  the  fresh  Selection Committee was resorted  to  and  a Committee was accordingly constituted.  The legality of  the constitution of the committee, when came to be challenged in the  writ petitions, by the impugned order of  the  Division Bench made in them, it is observed:               "We  do  not intend to go into  detail  as  to               whether the three alternatives as provided  in               the  directions contained in paragraph  17  of               the judgment were strictly followed and if not               followed  then  for valid reasons or  not;  we               proceed  to examine the scope of  the  present

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 3 of 4  

             selection committee which has been  ultimately               constituted  by  the U.P. Jal Nigam.   We  are               doing  so  specially for the reason  that  the               matter relating to determination of  seniority               of  the Assistant Engineers has  been  hanging               fire   for  about  two  decade  now  and   the               promotion  of certain Assistant  Engineers  on               the  basis of the impugned seniority  list  of               December,   1977   are   also   in   jeopardy.               Therefore, assuming that the authorities could               neither trace the previous merit list nor  was               consensus on the genuineness of the  seniority               list   produced  by  some  of  the   Assistant               Engineers before the Public Service  Tribunal,               the only way out left for the authorities  was               to  constitute  a  fresh  selection  committee               under the relevant rules which they have  done               but then it appears that the authorities  have               ignored  the  rider that this merit  list  has               only to be reconstituted on the basis of their               performance  as  indicated  by  the  available               record upto December 1977 and no new  material               could be added.  It has nowhere been stated by               the Jal Nigam either in the               350               counter affidavit or during the course of  the               arguments that since records of the  concerned               Assistant  Engineers who had  participated  in               the  selection  committee  of  March  1976  as               produced  before the selection  committee  are               not available today.  In these  circumstances,               the authorities have clearly acted contrary to               the   directions  issued  by  this  Court   by               attempting to hold fresh interview and  assess               the Assistant Engineers on the basis of  their               present performance. 4.   Accordingly,  a mandamus has been issued directing  the appellant to re-do the merit list of only of such  Assistant Engineers  whose services were regularised by the  selection committee constituted in March, 1986, on the basis of  their performance  as  indicated  by the  available  records  upto December 26, 1977.  This order is now under challenge. 5.   The facts stated, would clearly indicate     that   the record relating to the relevant    period has been destroyed and  the admission in the affidavit filed by the  respondent in an interim application itself clearly indicates that  the fresh selection list was only a tentative list not made even by  the  Department  but by some  others.   In  the  interim application,  the actual averment has been made at  page  37 thus:-               "That  only by a notice dated  23.8.1993,  the               U.P.  Jal  Nigam had  circulated  the  partial               merit list filed by the claimants in the  U.P.               Public    Services   Tribunal   and    invited               objections. 6.   It is clear that a merit list filed, had obviously been made by some of the parties and produced before the Tribunal and  when it was circulated the adversely  affected  persons had  objected  to  that  a  merit  list,  as  well  as   its genuineness.   In  consequence, the list was ignored  and  a committee  came to be appointed.  The appellants  have  also specifically  stated in the  counter affidavit filed in  the High  Court that after investigation to dig out the  record, they  could not trace out the record and so they  lodged  an F.I.R.  for investigation as to the persons responsible  for

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 4 of 4  

destruction  of  the  record and the  matter  is  under  in- vestigation.   Under  these  circumstances,  the  appellants obviously had chosen the last option given by the High Court in  the  earlier  order and constituted  a  fresh  selection committee  to  consider  the claims of  the  candidates  for preparation of the inter se seniority in the order of merit. Under  these circumstances, the High Court was not right  in issuing the writ of mandamus pointed above. 7.   The  appeal is accordingly allowed.  It is needless  to mention  that  the committee would go into the  question  of inter-se  seniority and prepare the list according to  merit and  give the report within a period of two months from  the date of the receipt of this order.  It is again needless  to mention that the police would make a thorough  investigation into  the persons responsible for destruction of the  record and  take  appropriate action according to  law.   The  writ petitions stand dismissed. S.L.P. NO.9364/94 :- The petition is dismissed as withdrawn. 353