BURN STANDARD CO. LTD. AND ORS.versusSH. DINABANDHU MAJUMDAR AND ANR.

A                 BURN STANDARD CO. LTD. AND ORS.
                                v.
                SH. DINABANDHU MAJUMDAR AND ANR.

                                   APRIL 21, 1995

B            [AM. AHMADI, CJ. AND N. VENKATACHALA, JJ.]

          Service Law :

          Date of Birth-Correction of-Principles governing Authenticated dec-
C laration of date of birth given by employee at the time of appointment-Ac-
    ceptance by employer-Entry in service record-Change of date of birth sought
    for close to the date of retirement-Rejection by employer-Writ-High
    Court-Direction to change the date of birth on the basis of duplicate admit
    card of Matric examination issued by University-Direction held unwarranted.

D         Constitution of India, 1950: Article 226.

         Writ jurisdiction--Power to enquire into disputed facts pertaining to
  date of birth of employees-Held High Court should not ordinarily entertain
  petition by an employee seeking correction of his date of birth at the fag end
E of his career-<Jranting of interim relief-Desirability of
          Pursuant to an authenticated declaration made by Respondent-I at
    the time or his appointment an entry was made in his service record that
    his date or birth was 25.4.1931. Under the service rules Respondent-I was
    to superannuate on attaining the age or sixty years. After completing 36
F   years or service and close to the period or his retirement, he filed an
    application seeking correction or his date or birth as 7.7.1934 which was
    rejected by the appellant-employer on the ground that the date or birth
    was recorded as per respondent's own authenticated declaration and It
    constituted the sole evidence of his age in all matters relating to his service.
    Another request made by Respondent 1 to correct his date or birth on the
G   ground that at the time of his initial appointment he had declared his date
    of birth to be 7.7.1934 which was duly recorded by the then management
    and that very date or birth was mentioned in his admit card to Matricula-
    tion examination issued by Calcutta University was also rejected by the
    appellant-employer. Further, by a notice the appellant-employer intimated
H   Respondent-I that he will be superannuated with effect from 25.4.1991 as
                                          712
             BURN STANDARD CO. LTD. v. D. MAJUMDAR                     713

per the date of birth recorded in the service record. Respondent-I filed< a A
writ petition before the Calcutta High Court for a direction to the appel-
lant not to retire him from service till he attained the superannuation age
on the basis of his date of birth found in his Matriculation admit card i.e.
7.7.1934. Relying on the date of birth as shown in the duplicate admit card
of Matriculate examination, a single Judge of the High Court directed B
correction of date of birth as sought for by respondent-I. On appeal, the
order of single Judge was affirmed by the Division Bench. Against the
decision of the Division Bench an appeal was preferred before this Conrt.

     Allowing the appeal and setting aside the judgment of the Division
Bench of the High Court, this Court                                           C

       HELD : 1. The discretionary extraordinary jurisdiction vested in the
High Court nnder Article 226 of the Constitntion has not been properly
exercised by the single Judge in issuing a writ of mandamus directing the
appellant to correct the date of birth of respondent. The Division Bench      p
of the High Court also has failed to see that the learned single Judge had
not properly exercised his writ jurisdiction in granting relief to responc
dent. [719-H, 720-A, BJ

      2. Extraordinary nature of the jurisdiction vested in the High Courts
under Article 226 of the Constitntion, is not meant to make employees of E
Government or its instrumentalities to continue in service beyond the
period of their entitlement according to dates of birth accepted by their
employers, placing reliance on the so called newly found material. The fact
that an employee of Government or its instrumentality who ·will be In
service for ever decades, with no objection whatsoever raised as to his date F
of birth accepted by the employer as correct, when all of a sudden comes
forward towards the fag end of his service career with a writ application
before the High Court seeking correction of his date of birth in his Service
Record, the very conduct of non-raising of an objection in the matter by
the employee, should be a sufficient reason for the High Court, not to
entertain such applications on grounds of acquiescence, undue delay and G
laches. Therefore, ordinarily High Courts should not, in exercise of its
discretionary writ jurisdiction, entertain a writ petition filed by an
employee of the Government or its instrumentality, towards the fag end of
his service, seeking correction of his date of birth entered in his Service
Register with the avowed object of continuing in service beyond the normal H
    714                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                    [1995] 3 S.C.R.

A period. (722·8 lo D, Fl

          3. Prudence on the part of every High Court should prevent it from
    granting interim relief in a petition for correction of the date of birth filed
    under Article 226 of the Constitution by an employee in relation to his
    employment, because of the well settled legal position governing such
B   correction of date of birth. [722-G, HJ

           4. It is ordinarily presumed that the birth date disclosed by the
    incumbent is accurate. The incumbent gives the date of birth and the
    employer accepts it as true and accurate before it is entered in the service
C   record. This entry in the service record made on the basis of employee's
    statement cannot be changed unilaterally at the sweet will of the employee
    except in the manner permitted by service conditions or the relevant rules.
    When such entry is made in Service Record of the employee the only way
    in which the employer, Government or its instrumentality can get over
D   such entry, because of subsequent disclosures as to its incorrectness, is to
    hold and inquiry into the matter by affording an opportunity to the
    employee concerned lo have his say in the matter. Here again considera·
    tions for a change in the date of birth may be diverse and the employer
    would be entitled to view it not merely from the angle of there being a
    genuine mistake but also from the point of its impact on the service in the
E   establishment. The first thing to consider is whether on the date of entry
    into service would the employee have been eligible for entry into service on
    the revised date of birth. Secondly, would revision of his date of birth after
    a long lapse of time upset the promotional chances of others in the
    establishment who may have joined on the basis that the incumbent would
F   retire on a given date opening up promotional avenues for others. If that
    be so and if permitting a change in the date of birth is likely to cause
    frustration down the line resulting in causing an adverse effect on efficien-
    cy in functioning, the employer may refuse to permit correction in the date
    at a belated stage. Sudden and belated change may upset the legitimate
    expectation of others who may have joined service hoping that on the
G   retirement of the senior on the due date there would be an upward
    movement in the hierarchy. In any case in such cases interim injunction
    for continuance in service should not be granted as it visits the juniors
    with irreparable injury, in that, they would be denied promotions, a
    damage which cannot be repaired if the claim is ultimately found to be
H    unacceptable. On the other hand, if no interim relief for continuance in
                   BURN STANDARD CO. LTD. v. D. MAJUMDAR                    715

r    service is granted and ultimately his claim for correction of birth date A
     found to be acceptable, the damage can be repaired by granting him all
     those monetary benefits which he would have received bad be continued in
     service. Therefore, in such cases it would be imprudent to grant interim
     relief. (723-C, 720-F, 723-D to H, 724-A]

            5. No doubt, there may be special law or rules which permit a person B
     appointed in the service of the Government or its instrumentality to seek
     correction of his date of birth which might have been accepted by the
     Government or its instrnmentality, as the case may be, as correct at the
     time of his appointment. But, the special law or roles governing the service
     of an employee if forbids correction of such date of birth of employee after C
     its acceptance by the Government or its instrumentality, its subsequent
     correction at the instance of such employee, becomes impermissible. How·
     ever, in the absence of such special law or rules it may be open to the
     employee concerned to seek correction from the Government or its in·
     strnmentality, of the date of birth declared by him .and accepted by the
-(   Government. Even where such correction is sought, the Government or its D
     instrumentality, as the case may be, would be entitled to refuse to correct
     the date of birth of its employee if the facts in the given case do not warrant
     such correction. (721-A to CJ

            6. Even, on merits, both judgment oftbe Division Bench of the High
     Court and the order of Single Judge of the High Court, cannot be sustained. E
     For correction of respondent's date of birth found in his Service Record
     with the appellant the Calcutta University's copy of the duplicate admit
     card to Matric examination, which purported to show his date of birth as
     7th day of July,1934 could not have been relied upon by the High Court for
     it was not a Matriculation certificate of respondent where his date of birth F
     had been found for being acted upon as correct date of birth. (724-D]

           Pramatha Nath Choudhary v. The State of West _Bengal and Ors.,
     (1981) 1 SLR 570, referred to.

             CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 4725 of               G
     1995.

          From the Judgment and Order dated 14.1.93 of the Calcutta High
     Court in Appeal NO. 149 of 1991.

             Dr. Shankar Ghosh, B.D. Ahmed, Parijat Sinha for Laywers As· H
    716                  SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  [1995] 3 S.C.R.

A sociated for the Appellants.
          Ranjan Mukherjee for the Respondents.

          The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

B         VENKATACHALA, J. Special leave sought for, is granted.

         This appeal by special leave arises from the judgment dated
  14.1.1993 of a Division Bench of the High Court of Calcutta dismissing
  Appeal No. 149/91 directed against the order dated 18.4.1991 of a learned
  Single Judge of the same Court made in Matter No. 2317/90, requiring
C respondent-1 therein - appellant-1 herein, by issuance of writ in the nature
  of mandamus, to correct the date of birth of petitioner-1 therein - respon-
  dent-1 herein, in his 'Service and Leave Record' and allow him to continue
  in its service beyond his superannuation age commutable according to his
  date of birth entered in that 'Service and Leave Record' at the time of his
D appointment. A question of general importance which is raised for our           .,.
  decision in this appeal is : when the High Court's extraordinary writ
  jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution is sought to be availed of
  by an employee of the Government or its instrumentality, to prevent
  either of them, as the case may be, from retiring him on superannuation
  according to the date of his birth declared at the time of his appointment
E and entered in his 'Service and Leave Record', by its acceptance by the
  Government or its instrumentality, as correct, can such jurisdiction be
  exercised in favour of such employee, as a matter of course?

           In the year 1981, when appellant-1, the Burn Standard Company
F   Limited was formed by the Government of India, it took over the Indian
    Standard Wagon Company Limited along with its employees, subject to
    their existing service conditions. Consequently, respondent-1, who had
    been appointed by Indian Standard Wagon Company Ltd. as its employee
    long ago on 25.4.1953 became th~ employee of appellant-1. 'Service and
    Leave Record' of respondent-1 with the Indian Standard Wagon Company
G   Ltd., which had been opened at the time of this appointment, became his
    'Service and Leave Record' with the appellant. That 'Service and Leave
    Record' of respondent-1, where his age had been entered on the basis of
    his declaration, voluntarily made at the time of his appointment also
    contained his authentication made therefor, by affixture of his left thumb
H   mark. That declared age, which indicated the date of birth of respondent-1
              BURNSTANDARDCO.LTD.v. D.MAJUMDAR(VENKATACHALA,J.]                    717

         as 25.4.1931, was to be the basis for his retirement from service, on A
         attaining the age of superannuation at 60 years. However, respondent-1
         who had continued in employment with the appellant for over 36 years,
         without any demur as to his age entered in his 'Service and Leave Record',
         made an application to the appellant on 1.2.1989, at a time close to the
         date of his retirement, seeking correction of his date of birth as 7.7.1934 in B
         his 'Service and Leave Record'. But, appellant-1, which considered that
         application, by its letter dated 10.3.1989, informed respondent-1 that his
         age recorded in his 'Service and Leave Record' as per his own declaration
         and duly authenticated by him at the time of his appointment, since
         constituted the sole evidence of his age in all matters relating to his service,
         according to its Standing Order, the same could not be corrected as sought C
         for. But, respondent-1 again wrote a letter dated 26.7.1989 to appellant-1,.
         stating that he had to seek correction of his date of birth in his 'Sen,;_ce,
         and Leave Record' since it did not reflect his date of birth as found in his
         Admit Card of Matriculation Examination issued by the Calcutta Univer-

-   -/
         sity and was also not in consonance with the declaration of his age made D
         at the time of his appointment before his erstwhile employer. When the
         claim in that letter was not acceptable to appellant-1, respondent-1 was
         duly intimated of them same by means of a Memo dated 8.9.1989. Further,
         on 5.6.1990 the appellant also issued to respondent-1 the Superannnation
         Notice which read thus :
                                                                                          E
                 "You are well aware that your retirement date is 24.4.91(a.n.) as
                 recorded. We would like to take this opportunity to communicate
                 that you will be released from the services of Burn Standard Co.
                 Ltd. w.e.f. 25.4.91 (f,n,), By this time, we may request you to vacate
                 the quarter, if allotted, for enabling us to settle your dues towards    F
                 final settlement."                                                 ·

                Respondent-1, who did not accept the said Superannuation Notice,
         in its stride, invoked the writ jurisdiction of the Calcutta High Court by
         filing a writ application under Article 226 of the Constitution, being Matter
         No. 2317/90 against appellant-1, by praying therein for issue of a writ of G
         mandamus to appellant-1 to superannuate and retire him from service till
         he attained the superannuation age on the basis of his date of birth found
         in his Matriculation Admit Card i.e. 7.7.1934. Although the grant of that
         writ application of respondent-1 was opposed by appellant-1, a learned
         Single Judge of the High Court who heard that application, by his Order H
                                                                                    ,.

    718                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  [1995] 3 S.C.R.

A dated 18.4.1991 allowed it by issuing a writ in the nature for mandamus to
    appellant-1, as had been sought for therein. When that order of the learned
    Single Judge was impugned in appeal No. 149/91, the Division Bench of
    the High Court which heard that appeal, by its order dated 14.1.1993
    dismissed the same, affirming the order of the learned single Judge.

B         Appellant-1, who felt aggrieved by the said order of dismissal of
    appeal made by the Division Bench of the High Court, has filed the present
    appeal by special leave, in which the question indicated at the outset, is
    raised for our consideration and decision.

C        As is pointed out by us, while narrating the facts of the case,
   respondent-1 made an application to appellant-1, seeking correction of his
   date of birth, which was entered in his 'Service and Leave Record' after
   he had completed, as many as 36 years of his service and when his
   retirement was due. When appellant-1 received that application, it issued
D a letter to respondent-1 making it clear that when his age had been
   recorded in his 'Service and Leave Record' on the basis of his own
   declaration, which had been duly authenticated by him at the time of his
   appointment, question of correcting such date of birth did not arise. Later,
   when respondent-1, wrote another letter to appellant-1 asserting that at the
   time of his initial appointment, he had declared his date of birth to be
E 7.7.1934 and that date of birth was duly recorded by the then management
   and that very date of birth was mentioned in his Admit Card to Matricula-
 . tion examination, that letter also did not find favour with appellant-1.
   Hence, appellant-1 issued Superannuation Notice dated 5.6.1990 to respon-             ~_
   dent-1 indicating that he will be superannuated w.e.f. 25.4.1991 and retired
F on the forenoon of that day on the basis of his date of birth entered in his
   'Service and Leave Record'. However, that Superannuation Notice was
   sought to be got over by respondent-1 by filing a writ application in the
   High Court. What was stated in his writ application as regards the decla-
   ration made by him before the predecessor of the appellant, was not that
   at the time of his appointment he had made a declaration and the same
G was duly recorded by the management, as had been stated and asserted
   earlier before appellant-1. Instead it had been stated in the writ application
   that after his appointment, he was asked to file a declaration form and a
   nomination form and they having been duly filled up, were deposited with
   the authority concerned and in that declaration form he had given his date
H of birth as 7.7.1934. Further, it had been stated that when he came to know
              BURN SfAND ARD CO. LID. v. D. MAJUMDAR [VENKATACHALA, J.f          7I9

          in the year I989 that his dated of birth was wrongly recorded by appellant- A
 ._,'I    I, he made a representation to the appellant for correction but it was of
         no avail. However, when he was issued the Superannuation Notice he had
          challenged it before the High Court. What all had been stated with regard
         to the declaration of the date of birth by respondent-I in his '-'Tit applica-
         tion was totally denied on behalf of the appellant by filing an affidavit in
          opposition. It was stated in that affidavit that it was not open to respon-
                                                                                         B
          dent-I to dispute the correctness of his date of birth entered in his 'Service
         and Leave Record' when he had on his own, made a declaration of that
   "
  ..A    date of his birth at the time of his appointment and when that declaration
         was duly authenticated by him by affixture of his left thumb impression.
         The learned Single Judge of the High Court who heard the writ application     c
         did not go into the question whether the date of birth declared by respon-
         dent -I as correct and accepted by appellant-I and acted upon by it,
         warranted correction as sought for by respondent-I, merely because a
         different date of birth of respondent-I was found in his supposed Admit
         Card to Matriculation examination. All that is found in the order of the
                                                                                         D
         learned Single Judge is, that the High Court had in its earlier Division
         Bench dicision held that the date of birth of a Govermnent servant in his
         service record requires correction according to the date of birth found in
         its Matriculation certificate and, therefore, the date of birth of respondent-
          I in his 'Service and Leave Record' should be corrected on the basis of the
         date of birth found in the Matriculation certificate even ignoring the fact E
         that what had been produced by respondent-I in the Court was not a
         Matriculation certificate, but a photocopy of a duplicate Admit Card of
         Matriculation examination. It is the said view of the matter which made the
         learned single judge, as seen from his order, to direct appellant-I to correct
{ .,i
         the date of birth the respondent-I in his 'Service and Leave Record' and
                                                                                         F
         allow him to continue in service of appellant-I on the basis of such
         corrected date of birth, by issuing a writ in the nature of mandamus. When
         the order of the learned Single Judge was taken up in appeal before the
         Division Bench of the High Court, the Division Bench did not feel inclined
         to interfere with the order of the learned sir.gle Judge and dismissed the
         appeal.                                                                         G
   ).
               Haviog gone through the order of the learned single Judge, we are
         unable to think that the discretionary ei<traordinary jurisdiction vested in
         the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution has been properly
         exercised by him in issuing a writ in the nature of mandamus directing H
    720                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   (1995) 3 S.C.R.

A   appellant -1 to correct the date of birth of respondent -1 in his 'Service and
    Leave Record' and allow him to continne in service beyond the date when
    he should have retired having regard to his age as entered in his 'Service
    and Leave Record'. The Division Bench of the High Court also, we are
    inclined to think, has failed to see that the learned single Judge had not
    properly exercised his writ jurisdiction in granting relief to respondent-1,
B   if regard is had to the nature of relief which he had sought for.

         The importance of the date of birth of an employee given to his
  employer and accepted as correct by the letter and entered in the 'Service
  and Leave Record' of the former, cannot be underestimated. That is so for
C the reason that the employee's service with the employer has to be neces-
  sarily regulated according to such date of birth. Therefore, when a person
  is taken into service on appointment, he would be required by his employer
  to declare his correct date of birth and support the same by production of
  appropriate certificates or documents, if any. Even where the persons so
D appointed fail to produce the certificates or documents in proof of their
  date of birth, they would be required to affix their thumb impression or           -,.
  signature in authentication of their declared ages or dates of birth. When,
  on the basis of such declaration made or certificates produced by the
  employee an entry is made of his date of birth in his 'Service and Leave
  Record' to be opened, that will amount to acceptance by the employer of
E such date of birth, as correct, be it the Government or its instrumentality.
  When such entry is made in Service Record of the employee the only way
  in which the employer, Government or its instrumentality can get over such
    entry, because of subsequent disclosures as to its incorrectness, is to hold
    an inquiry into the matter by affording an opportunity to the employee
p concerned to have his say in the matter. But when once the employer, the
  Government or the instrumentality concerned accepts the date of birth of
  an employee as declared by him and supported by certificates or docu-
  ments produced by him and allows him to enter into its service and
  continue on such basis, is it open to such employee to claim that the date
  of birth declared and authenticated by him was incorrect and, therefore,
G the employer, be it the Government or its instrumentality, should correct
  his date of birth in his 'Service and Leave Record' according to what he
                                                                                     _(
  claims to be true and if the Government or its instrumentality concerned
  refuses to accept such claim can the High Court in exercise of its discre-
  tionary extraordinary writ jurisdiction entertain a writ application, to con-
H sider the merit of such claim?
•
         BURN SfAND ARD CO. LTD. v. D. MAJUMDAR [VENKATACHALA, J.]            721

          No doubt, there may be special law or rules which permit a person A
    appointed in the service of the Government or its instrumentality to seek
    correction of his date of birth which might have been accepted by the
    Government or its instrumentality, as the case may be, as correct at the
    time of his appointment. But, the special law or rules governing the service
    of an employee if forbids correction of such date of birth of employee after      B
    its acceptance by the Government or its instrumentality. Its subsequent
    correction at the instance of such employee, becomes impermissible. How-
    ever, in' the absence of such special law or rules it may be open to the
    employee concerned to seek correction from Government or its instrumen-
    tality, of the date of birth declared by him and accepted by the Govern-
    ment. Even where such correction is sought, the Government or its                 C
    instrumentality as the case may be would be entitled to refuse to correct
    the date of birth of its employee if the facts in the given case do not warrant
    such correction. If that be the legal position, can it be said that it is open
    to a High Court in exercise of its extra- ordinary writ jurisdiction to
    entertain a writ application of an employee of the Government or its              D
    instrumentality, as the case may be, for correction of his date of birth
    entered in his 'Service and Leave Record' at the time of his appointment
    and direct the Government or it instrumentality concerned to correct such
    date of his birth in his 'Service and Leave Record' and continue him in
    service beyond the date of his normal retirement, is the question. It is true
    that the High Court in exercise of its discretionary jurisdiction under           E
    Article 226 of the constitution can even enter upon disputed questions of
    fact, if the case in which the extraordinary jurisdiction is invoked warrants
    adoption of such inevitable course and decide upon the same for giving
    relief to the concerned partly. But, the question is that if an employee of
    the Government or its instrumentality, who is at the fag end of his service       F
    and due for retirement for his service shortly, according to his date of birth
    found in his 'Service and Leave Record' files a writ application before the
    High Court and invokes its writ jurisdiction for correction of such date of
    birth with a view to continue in service beyond the normal period of his
    retirement, will it be appropriate for the High Court io entertain such
    application to enquire into disputed facts pertaining to his date birth for       G
    correcting it and extend his period of service?

          Entertainment by High Courts of writ applications made by
    employees of the Government or its instrumentalities at the fag end of their
    services and when they are due for retirement from their services, in our H
    722                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   [1995] 3 S.C.R.

A view, is unwarranted. It would be so for the reason that no employee can
  claim a right to correction of birth date and entertainment of such writ
  applications for correction of dates of birth of some employees of Govern-
  ment or its instrumentalities will mar the chances of promotion of his
  juniors and prove to be an undue encouragement to the other employees
  to make similar applications at the fag end of their service careers with the
B sole object of preventing their retirements when due. Extra-ordinary nature
  of the jurisdiction vested in the High Courts under Article 226 of the
  Constitution, in our considered view, is not meant to make employees of             j

  Government or its instrumentalities to continue in service beyond the              'I-.
  period of their entitlement according to dates of birth accepted by their
c employers, placing reliance on the so called newly found material. The fact
  that an employee of Government or its instrumentality who will be in
  service for over decades, with no objection whatsoever raised as to his date
  of birth accepted by the employer as correct, when all of a sudden comes
  forward towards the fag end of his service career with a writ application
D before the High Court seeking correction of his date of birth in his Service
  Record, the very conduct of non-raising of an objection in the matter by
  the employee, in our view, should be a sufficient reason for the High Court,
  not to entertain such applications on grounds of acquiescence, undue delay
  and !aches. Moreover, discretionary jurisdiction of the High Court can
  never be said to be have been reasonably and judicially exercised if it
E entertains such writ application, for no employee, who had grievance as to
  his date of birth in his 'Service and Leave Record' could have genuinely
  waited till the fag end of his service career to get it corrected by availing
  of the extraordinary jurisdiction of a High Court. Therefore, we have no
  hesitation, in holding that ordinarily High Courts should not, in exercise of
F its discretionary writ jurisdiction, entertain a writ application/petition filed
  by an employee of the Government or its instrumentality, towards the fag
   end of his service, seeking correction of his date of birth entered in his
   'Service and Leave Record' or Service Register with thee avowed object of
   continuing in service beyond the normal period of his retirement.

G       Prudence on the part of every High Court should, however, in our
  considered view, prevent it from granting interim relief in a petition for
  correction of the date of birth filed under Article 226 of the Constitution
  by an employee in relation to his employment, because of the well settled
  legal position governing such correction of date of birth which precisely
H stated, is the following :
      BURN STANDARD CO. LID. v. D. MAJUMDAR [VENKATACHALA, J.]           7'J:3

          When a person seeks employment, he impiiedly agrees with the terms A
   and conditions on which employment is offered. For every post in the
  service of the Govermnent or any other instrumentality there is the mini-
  mum age of entry prescribed depending on the functional requirements for ·
  the post. In order to verify the person concerned is not below that
  prescribed age he is required to disclose his date of birth. The date of birth B
  is verified and if found to be correct is entered in the service record. It is
  ordinarily presumed that the birth date disclosed by the incumbent is
  accurate. The situation then is that the incumbent gives the date of birth
  and the employer accepts it as true and accurate before it is entered in the
  service record. This entry in the service record made on the basis of the
  employee's statement cannot be changed unilaterally at the sweet will of C
  the employee except in the manner permitted by service conditions or the
  relevant rules. Here again considerations for a change in the date of birth
  may be diverse and the employer would be entitled to view it not merely
  from the angle of there being a genuine mistake but also from the point of
  its impact on the service in the establishment. It is common knowledge that D
  every establishment has its own set of service conditions governed by rules.
  It is equally known that practically every establishment prescribes a mini-
  mum age for entry into service at different levels in the establishment. The
  first thing to consider is whether on the date of entry into service would
  the employee have been eligible for ·entry into service on the revised date E
  of birth. Secondly, would revision of his date of birth after a long lapse of
  time upset the promotional chances of others in the establishment who may
  have joined on the basis that the incumbent would retire on a given date
  opening up promotional avenues for others. If that be so and if permitting
  a change in the date of birth is likely to cause frustration down the line
  resulting in causing an adverse effect on efficiency in functioning, the
                                                                                 F
  employer may refuse to permit correction in the date at a belated stage. It
  must be remembered that such sudden and belated change may upset the
  legitimate expectation•of others who may have joined service hoping that
  on the retirement of the senior on the due date there would be an upward
  movement in the hierarchy. In any case in such cases interim injunction G
  for continuance in service should not be granted as it visits the juniors with
  irreparable injury, in that, they would be denied promotions, a damage
· which cannot be repaired if the claim is ultimately found to be unaccep-
  table. On the other hand, if no interim relief for continuance in service is
  granted and ultimately his claim for correction of birth date is found to be H
    724                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  [1995j 3 S.C.R.

A acceptable, the damage can be repaired by granting him all those monetary
    benefits which he would have received had he continued in service. We
    are, therefore, of the opinion that in such cases it would be imprudent to
    grant interim relief.

          When we turn to the case of respondent-1 he did not object to his
B date of birth or age entered in his 'Service and Leave Record' with
  appellant-I during 36 years of his service. When the writ application filed
  by respondent-I was entertained by the High Court, it is difficult to find         j

  that it has used its discretion in the matter either judiciously or reasonably,   \,_.

  and for that reason alone the judgment of the Division Bench of the High
C Court under appeal by which the order of the learned Single Judge has
  been affirmed calls to be interfered with and set aside.

        Even, on merits, both judgment of the Division Bench of the High
  Court and the order of a Single Judge of the High Court, cannot be
  sustained. For correction of respondent-l's date of birth found in his
D 'Service and Leave Record' with appellant-I, the Calcutta University's copy
  of the duplicate Admit Card to Matric examination, which purported to
  show his date of birth as 7th day of July, I934, could not have been relied
  upon by the High Court for it was not a matriculation certificate of
  respondent' I where his date of birth had been found for being acted upon
E as correct date of birth, as had been held in a previous Division Bench
  decision of the High Court vide Pramatha Nath Choudhury v. The State of
  West Bengal and Ors., (198I) 1 SLR 570.

        Undoubtedly, the claim of appellant- Pramatha Nath Choudhury in
  the appeal before the Division Bench of the High Court was exactly similar
F to the claim of respondent - 1 in the present appeal. All that the Division
  Bench has said in its decision is that date of birth of the appellant which
  was accepted by his employer should be corrected to accord with date of
  birth found in his Matriculation certificate. No reason is given as to why
  towards the fag end of the service career of the appellant before it, such
  correction should have been permitted. Moreover, even though the
G Matriculation certificate produced by· the •ppellant before the Division
  Bench for the first time was seriously doubted, no opportunity had been
  given to the government to make good the doubt. Having gone through the
  said judgment of the Division Bench in appeal, we have no hesitation in
   reaching the conclusion that the Division Bench was wholly unjustified in
H interfering with the order of the learned Single Judge of the same court
1
'


         BURN STANDARD CO. LID. v. D. MAJUMDAR [VENKATACHALA, J.j            725

    whereby it was held, in our view, rightly that the appellant's writ application A
    filed for correction of his date of birth at the fag end of his service career
    for avoiding his superannuation which was due, cannot be entertained.

           Hence, the order of the learned Single Judge of the High Court
    whereby he allowed the writ application of respondent -1 here and the
    judgment of the Division Bench of the High Court whereby the order of          B
    the learned Single Judge is affirmed, cannot be sustained and call to be
    interfered with.

           In the result, we allow this appeal and set aside the judgment of the
    Division Bench of the High Court in appeal and reject the writ application     C
    of respondent-1 filed in the High Court. Since respondent-1 had continued
    in service of appellant-I beyond 25.4.1991, the date of his superannuation
    on the basis of his declared age entered in his 'Service and Leave Record'
    because of the Judgment and order of the High Court, now set aside, he
    shall not be entitled to any service benefits other than the salary drawn by
    him for the period beyond 25.4.1991. No costs.                                 D
    T.N.A.                                                     Appeal allowed.