RUPA RANI RAKSHIT AND ORS. v. JHARKHAND GRAMIN BANK AND ORS

Citation: [2009] 15 S.C.R. 1133

Court: Supreme Court of India

Bench: R.V. RAVEENDRAN, K.S. RADHAKRISHNAN

Case summary

RUPA RANI RAKSHIT AND ORS. v. JHARKHAND GRAMIN BANK AND ORS.pdf

Judgment text

[2009] 15 (ADDL. ) S. C. R. 1133 RUPA RANI RAKSHIT AND ORS. v. ·~ JHARKHAND GRAMIN BANK AND ORS. (Civil Appeal No. 1786 of 2002) NOVEMBER 24, 2009 [R. V. RAVEENDRAN AND K. S. RADHAKRISHNAN, JJ. ] Regional Rural Banks (Appointment and promotions of officers and other employees) Rules, 1988: The Rules provide for promotion based on seniority-cum-merit - Jo Respondent-Bank governed by the Rules - Promotion of employees of bank on comparative assessment of merit with reference to marks for academic qualifications, years of service, performance appraisal and interview - Legality of - Held: Not legal - High Court rightly interfered with the promotions - Directions given by High Court for fresh process of promotion was in consonance with Rules and principles of y seniority-cum-merit - Service law. "' Service law: Promotion - Without following the rules - Held: Period of service rendered in pursuance of such illegal .

promotion which was subsequently set aside cannot be counted for the purpose of seniority. Equity: Writ petition challenging promotion of appellants - No delay in filing writ petition - Fact that writ petition was pending for considerable time would not create any equities in favour of appellants. The Regional Rural Banks (Appointment and promotions of officers and other employees) Rules, 1988 =I provided for promotion on the basis of seniority-cummerit. The respondent-bank governed by the Rules drew --i. up a common seniority list of all the eligible candidates from the feeder cadres and subjected them to comparative assessment based on marks secured with reference to ~ certain parameters adopted by the Bank. A list of the candidates who secured the minimum qualifying marks in the interview was prepared in the order of merit with )- or the interveners if allowed promotion on such consideration, they will not get benefit in pursuance of earlier notification dated 19th Nov.

1990, which has been set aside by this Court. " The appeals filed by the appellants (candidates promoted on 20. 11. 1990) against the said judgment were dismissed by the Division Bench, holding by a short order that the judgment of the ,,T learned Single Judge did not call for interference. The said judgment is challenged in these appea. ls by special leave. 5. The first contention urged by the appellants is that the promotions made on dated 20. 11. 1990 were lawful and valid. I( was submitted that the Bank had effected promotions by giving primacy to seniority as it allotted maximum marks of 40 out of 100, for the period of service (at the rate of one mark for every quarter of service). It was pointed out that marks allotted to other .. parameters were less - 30 marks for interview, 24 marks for performance-appraisal in regard to three years service and 6 • marks for educational qualifications.

It was contended that when primacy was accorded to seniority (period of service) in the assessment process, the promotion should be treated as on the principle of seniority-cum-merit. 6. The principle of seniority-cum-merit is well-settled. In Rajendra Kumar Srivastava & Ors. v. Samyut Kshetriya Gramin Bank & Ors. [C. A. No. 6691 of 2001 decided on ·11r 17. 11. 2009], this Court observed as follows : "8. \tis also well settled that the principle of seniority-cummerit, for promotion, is different from the principle of 'seniority' and principle of 'merit-cum-senrority'. Where J promotion is on the basis of seniority alone, merit will not play any part at all. But where promotion is on the principle of seniority-cum-merit, promotion is not automatic with reference to seniority alone. Merit will also play a significant role.

The standard method of seniority-cum-merit is to subject all the eligible candidates in the feeder grade (possessing the prescribed educational qualification and period of service) to a process of assessment of a specified minimum necessary merit and then promote the candidates .... who are found to possess the minimum necessary merit strictly in the order of seniority. The minimum merit necessary for the post may be assessed either by subjecting the candidates to a written examination or an interview or by assessment of their work performance during the previous years, or by a combination of either two or all the three of the aforesaid methods. There is no hard and fast rule as to how the minimum merit is to be ascertained. So long as the ultimate promotions are based on seniority, any process for ascertaining the minimum necessary merit, as a basic requirement, will not militate against the principle of seniority-cum-merit. xxxxx 10.

Thus it is clear that a process whereby eligible candidates possessing the minimum necessary merit in the feeder posts is first ascertained and thereafter, promotions are made strictly in accordance with seniority, from among those who possess the minimum necessary merit is recognised and accepted as complying with the principle of 'seniority-cum-merit'. What would offend the rule of seniority-cum-merit is a process where after assessing the minimum necessa1y merit, promotions are made on the basis of merit (instead of seniority) from among the candidates possessing the minimum necessary merit. If ) the criteria adopted for assessment of minimum necessary merit is bona fide and not unreasonable, it is not open to ·• challenge, as being opposed to the principle of senioritycum-merit.

We accordingly hold that prescribing minimum qualifying marks to ascertain the minimum merit necessary for discharging the functions of the higher post, is not violative of the concept of promotion by seniority-cummerit. " (emphasis supplied) 7. In this case, the bank did not subject the eligible candidates to any process of assessment to ascertain any specified minimum merit, for the purpose of promoting the candidates who possessed the minimum merit, on the basis . ). seniority. On the other hand, the Bank proceeded to assess their inter-se-merit with reference to four criteria (period of service, educational qualification, performance during three years, and interview) by allocating respectively maximum marks of 40, 6, 24 and 30 (out of a total 100 marksf and then proceeded to promote those who had secured the highest marks in the order of merit.

Thus there were two violations of the relevant rules: (i) promoting candidates on merit-cum-seniority and not on seniority-cum-merit; and (ii) assessing inter-se merit, inter alia with reference to marks allocated to different educational qualifications. It cannot, therefore, be said that the promotions made on 20. 11. 1990 wer-e on the basis of seniority-cum-merit. Though the period of service was also considered as one of the factors for assessment of comparative merit, the procedure adopted for promotion was merit-cum-seniority. The High Court was, therefore, justified in interfering with the promotions. The directions given by the High Court for fresh process of promotion were in consonance with the Rules and principles of senioritycum-merit. The appeals, therefore, have no merit. 8.

The appellants submitted that they were promoted in November 1990, that they had worked in the higher post of Field Superiors for more than ten years and therefore, even if there was some procedural irregularity, their promotions ought not to have been interfered with, in the year 2001. The submission is misleading. Though the promotions of appellants were in November, 1990, it was challenged before the High Court by the third respondent by filing a writ petition, without any delay, that is, in less than three months. The fact that the writ petition was ,. pending for a considerable time will not therefore create any equities in favour of the appellants. 9. The appellants in C. A. No. 1789 of 2002 have an additional grievance. The three appellants in that appeal were originally promoted on 20. 11. 1990.

When the High Court set aside the said promotions and directed a fresh process of promotions by adopting the principle of seniority-cum-merit, the Bank accordingly made fresh prpmotions by orcier dated 24. 4. 2001 and these three appellants were again promoted with effect from 9. 4. 2001. But their seniority in the . post of Field Supervisor was reckoned from the date of their fresh promotion -l i. e. 9. 4. 2001 and the previous period of service as Field: Supervisor from 1990 to 2001 was ignored. They contend that their service as Field Supervisors between 1990 and 2001 should also be counted for the purpose of their seniority in the post of Field Supervisors, further promotions and other benefits. 10.

It is now well-settled that if an appointment or promotion is made without considering the claims of all the available eligible candidates and/or without following the relevant rutes; the service rendered in pursuance of such illegal appointment or promotion \: cannot be equated to service rendered in pursuance of an appointmentor promotion validly and lawfully made. Whenever a person is promoted to a post without following the rules prescribed for such promotion, he should be treated as a person not regularly promoted to that post. Consequently, where promotions are governed by Rules, in computing the length of service, in the post to which an employee is promoted, it is not " permissible to include the period of service rendered in pursuance of an illegal promotion which is subsequently set aside. It, therefore, follows that the period of service rendered by the appellants from 1990 to 2001 cannot be cc·-~:-. Led for the purpose of seniority in the cadre of Offir.

ers/Field Superiors. Therefore, the appellants in C. A. No. 1789/2002 are also not entitled to any relief. 11. Therefore, all the appeals and the applications for ,... impleadment are dismissed. D. G. Appeals dismissed.