SRI DEVENDRA PRASAD SHARMAversusTHE STATE OF MIZORAM AND ORS.

A                    SRIDEVENDRAPRASADSHARMA
                                         v.
                   THE STATE OF MIZORAM AND ORS.

                                MARCH 10, 1997

B               [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.T. NANAVATI, JJ.]


          Service Law :

          Mizoram Police Service Rules, 1986 :
c        Rule 25(iii)-Seniority-l11ter se seniority between direct recrnit and
  promotee Deputy Superintendents of Police-Held, the inter se seniority of
  direct recmits and promotees has to be detemiined in accordance with quota
  and mtation-Accordingly seniority was rightly detennined as per the respec-
  tive dates of appointment-Therefore, the rotatio11 has to be considered as per
D the date of appointment and in accordance with the vacancy under the
  mles-/11 the meeting held by DPC, petitioner was found to be unfit for
  promotion to the post of Additional Superintendent of Police-He may be
  found fit at a later stage of selection, but he cannot get seniority over the ·
  persons who were found fit in the earlier meeting of DPC and have already·.
E got promoted to higher post-Seniority in lower post loses its significance.
         CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Special Leave Petition (C)
    No. 4428 of 1997.

         From the Judgment and Order dated 21.11.96 of the Assam High
    Court in W.A. No. 81 of 1994.
F
          P.K. Goswami, Kailash Vasdev and C.K. Sasi for the Petitioner

          The following Order of the Court was delivered :

G         The petitioner was promoted as Inspector of Police on July 10, 1973
    and was further promoted as Deputy Superintendent of Police on April 8,
    1982. The contesting respondents were directly recruited as Deputy Super-
    intendents on March ,25, 1982. Their inter-se seniority is regulated by Rule
    25 of the Mizoram Police Serrice Rules, 1986. Rules 25 reads as under :
                                                                                     •

H            "25. Seniority - The Administrator shall prepare a list of members
                                       930                            .             ·-
                             D.P.SHARMAv. STATE                               931

            of the Service arranged in order of seniority as determined in the       A
            manner specified below :

-           (i)(a) Persons recruited on the results of the competitive examina-
            tion in any year shall be ranked Inter se in the order of merit in
            which they are placed at the competitive examination on the results
            of which they are recruited, those recruited on the basis. of an         B
            earlier examination being ranked senior to those recruited on the
            basis of a later examination.

            (b) The relative seniority inter se of persons recruited by selection
            shall be determined on the basis of the order in which their. names
            are arranged in the list prepared under rule 13, those recruited on
                                                                                     c
            the basis of an earlier selection being ranked senior to those
            recruited on the basis of a later selection.

            (ii) The seniority of members of the Service appointed at the initial
            constitution of the Service in accordance with the provisions of         D
            part VI of these rules shall be determined by the Administrator in
            consultation with the Board.

                Provided that in the case of persons appointed under sub rule
            (i) of the rule 15, if two or more persons belonging to the same
            parent service or Department are thus appointed, they shall be           E
            ranked inter se in the order of their relative seniority in the parent
            Service or Department as the case may be.

            (iii) The relative seniority of direct recruits and of promotecs shall
            be determined according to the rotation of vacancies between
            direct recruits and promotees which shall be based on the quotas         F
            of vacancies reserved for direct recruitment and promotion under
            rule 5."

          In the matter of fixation of the inter se seniority under Ruic 25(iii),
    the relative seniority of direct recruits and of promotees has to be deter- G
    mined according to the rotation of vacancies between direct recruits and
    promotees which shall be based on the quotas of vacancies reserved for
    direct recruitment and promotion under Rule 5. The Division Bench has
    pointed out in the impugned .order the position as under :

            ''Clause (ii) of rule 25 quoted above clearly stipulated that the        H
    932                     SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   [1997] 2 S.C.R.

A              seniority of the service appointed at the initial constitution of the
               service shall be determined by the administrator irt consultation
               with the Board. Since all the respondents have been appointed as
               members of the service at the initial constitution of service their
               seniority has to be determined by the Administrator in accordance
               with the said rules."          ·
B
          Shri P.K. Goswami, learned senior counsel for the petitioner, con-
    tends that in view of the definition under Rule 2(g) of 'service' read with
    Rule 5, .the inter-se seniority of the direct recruits and pr.omotees is re-
    quired. to bir determined with reference lo the date when the seniority falls
C ,to be due, We find no force in the contention. The statutory rule 25(iii),
  ' as indicated above, dearly postulates that the inter se seniority of the direct
    recruits and the promotees has to be determined in accordance with quota
    and rotation. Accordingly, seniority was rightly determined as per the
    respective dates of appointment. Therefore, the rotation has to be con-
D sidered as per the date of appointment and in accordance with the vacancy
  · under the rules; Otherwise, ,the rule of rota-quota unduly gets disturbed.

             When the claims for promotion to the post of Addi. Superintendent
      of Police had come up for consideration, in the meeting hc)d by the DPC
      on October 6, 1988, the petitioner was found to ,be unfit and contesting
E     respondents were found to be fit as per the proceedings indicated in the
      judgment of the High Court. As a consequence, the petitioner could not
      claim right to promotion at that time on the basis of the assessment made
      by the DPC or to seniority over those promoted as per the recommenda-
      tion of th~ DPC. The petitioner may be found fit at a later stage of selection
      but he cannot get seniority over the persons who were. found fit in the          ~-

F     meeting held in October 6, 1988 and promoted on October 20, 1988 and
      have already got promoted to higher post i.e. Addi. Superintendent of
       Police. The seniority in lower post loses it significance.

             The petiliOn, therefore, does not merit interference. It is accordingly
G      dismissed.

       R.P.                                                     ·Petition dismissed.



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