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Supreme Court of India

KARUNA LAHIRIversusGAUTAM KUMAR CHAKRABORTY AND ORS.

Citation
1995 INSC 859
Decided
7 December 1995
Disposal
Dismissed

Holding

The Tribunal's remarks do not constitute an adverse prejudice against the appellant; the appointments must be considered solely according to the rules, and there is no ground for Supreme Court interference.

Summary

The appellant, Karunalahiri, and the first respondent, Gautam Kumar Chakraborty, were initially appointed on an ad‑hoc basis in the Orissa State Law Department. A selection committee placed the respondent at serial No. 1 and the appellant at serial No. 3, with confirmation to be made by the State Public Service Commission. The Minister bypassed the commission and recommended the appellant for appointment, prompting the State Administrative Tribunal to direct the matter to the commission, which then confirmed the appellant as number 3 and the respondent as number 4, disposing of the respondent's claim. Aggrieved, the appellant appealed to the Supreme Court, fearing that the Tribunal's criticism of the Law Department's functioning would be construed as an adverse remark affecting her future prospects. The Court held that the Tribunal's observations were proper and did not amount to an adverse prejudice against the appellant, and that the appointments must be considered strictly according to the applicable rules. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed without costs.

Issues considered

  • Whether the remarks made by the State Administrative Tribunal criticizing the Law Department constitute an adverse prejudice against the appellant affecting her future prospects.
  • Whether the Supreme Court should interfere with the Tribunal's order and the selection process under the relevant service rules.

Subjects

service lawappointmentad hocregularisationState Public Service Commissionadministrative tribunaladverse remarksSupreme Courtappeal dismissedOrissa Law Department

Judgment

A                       KARUNA LAHIRI
                             v.
              GAUTAM KUMAR CHAKRABORTY AND ORS.

                               DECEMBER 7, 1995

B               [K. RAMASWAMY AND B.L. HANSARIA, JJ.]

          Service Law:

          State of Orissa-Law Department-Ad hue appointment...-Regularisa-
C   tion of-Rules providing selection of regulady appuillted candidates to be
    confirmed by State Public Service Commission-State Administrative
    Tribunal commenting upon unsatisfacfOl)' way uf selections made by State
    Law Department-Held, Tribunal rightly pointed out unsatisfactory way of
    functioning of Slate Law Department-Claims lo be considered only accord-
    ing to mies de hors any adverse re;nark.
D
        The appellant and respondent No. t were initially appointed on ad
  hoc basis. Later the Committee constituted for their selection on regular
  basis placed respondent No. 1 at serial No. 1 and the appellant at serial
  No. 3. The appointments were subject to confirmation by the State Public
E Service Commission. The Minister, instead of sending the names to the
  State Public Service Commission for confirmation, as required under the
  rules, recommended for appointment of the appellant Respondent No. 1
  approached the Tribunal and ultimately the Public Service Commission
  selected the appellant as number 3 and respondent No. 1 as number 4.
  Consequently the Tribunal disposed of the application of respondent No.
F 1. Aggrieved, the appellant filed the present appeal.
         The appeal was not argued on merits. However, the appellant ap-
    prehended that the remarks made by the Tribunal might be construed to
    be adverse to her, affecting her future prospects.
G         Dismissing the appeal, this Court

          HELD : There is no justification for an apprehension that the
    remarks made by the Tribunal would be construed to be adverse to the
    appellant for her future prospects. The Tribunal bad quite rightly pointed
H   out the unsatisfactory way of functioning of the Law Department of the
                                        322
                KARUNALAHIRI v. G.K CHAKRABORTY                             323

State of Orissa. The claims would be considered only according to rules            A
de hors any adverse remark. [324-B)

        CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 11966 of
1995.

      From the Judgment and Order dated 27.8.93 of the Orissa ad-                  B
ministrative Tribunal in O.A. No. 631 of 1992.

        Raj Kumar Mehta and N.K. Sharma for the Appellant.

        A.K. Panda and P.N. Misra for the Respondents.
                                                                                   c
        The following Order of the Court was delivered :

        Leave granted.

       It is rather unfortunate that the Law Department of the Orissa State
is functioning in unsatisfactory way. It is reflected in this case also. This is   D
one of the three cases which have come up before this Court relating to
service matter. Other Departments, look for guidance from Law Depart-
ment. Instead of becoming a model functionary, its officers indulge in
litigating their own cases because of their back-door entry into service.

       The appellant claims to have been appointed .on ad hoc basis by E
proceedings dated October 26, 1990. Gautam Kumar Chakraborty, the first
respondent and the appellant had joined the Department on January 27,
1986. The Committee constituted for their selection, found the first respon-
dent to be number one and the appellant as number 3 in the list. Admit-
tedly, regular appointments are subject to confirmation by the Orissa F
Public Service Commission. Instead of sending the names to the Commis-
sion for consideration, the Minister recommended for appointment of the
appellant. The first respondent naturally had approached the Tribunal
staking his claim for confirmation. The Tribunal directed the Government
to refer to the matter, in terms of the Rules, to the Commission which after
considering the respective merits of all the candidates had selected D. G
Mullick as number 1, B.N. Sahoo as number 2, appellant as number 3 and
Gautam Kumar Chakraborty as number 4 and recommended for appoint-
ment. Consequently, the application of the respondent was disposed of.
Feeling aggrieved by the order of the Tribunal passed on August 27, 1993
in O.A. No. 631 of 1992, this appeal by special leave has been filed. In the H
    324                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1995) SUPP. 6S.C.R.

A face of these facts, there is no chance for the appellant to argue on merits.
         Shri N.K. Sharma, the learned counsel appearing for the appellant,
  realising the insurmountable difficulty in the way, contended that the
  remarks made by the Tribunal would be construed to be adverse to the
  appellant for her future prospects. We find that there is no justification for
B such an apprehensation. The Tribunal quite rightly had pointed out the sad
  way in which the Law Department works. The claims would be considered
  only according to rules de hors any adverse remark.

          We do not find it a fit case for interference. The appeal is accordingly
    dismissed. No costs.
c
    R.P.                                                      Appeal dismissed.


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