CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF AND ANR.versusG. GOPALAKRISHNA PILLAI AND ORS.

A                  CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF AND ANR.
                                 v.
                  G. GOPALAKRISHNA PILLAI AND ORS.

                               DECEMBER 8, 1995

B                   [G.N. RAY AND G.T. NANAVAT!, JJ.]

          Service Law :

          Seniority-Ad hoc appointment-Subsequent regularisation of-Con-
C   tinuous officiation-Held, when initial appointment was made by way of ad
    hoc arrangement without following the procedure laid down by Rules benefit
    of continuous officiation not to Vt given for fixing seniority.

        The respondent was given ad hoc appointments to the post of
  Storekeeper and was subsequently regularised in that post. He was given
D seniority only from the date on which he was regularised iu the post of
  Storekeeper. He made a representation to the Department claiming
  seniority by computing the period spent on ad hoc service as Storekeeper.
  The Department rejected the representation. The Respondent muved an
  application before the Central Administrative Tribunal which directed
E that the Respondent should be given seniority from the date he started
  officiating in the post of Storekeeper and all consequential benefits shonld
  be given to him. Hence this appeal by the Department.

          Allowing the appeal, this Court

p        HELD : If an employee had been appointed on ad hoc or temporary
  basis exceeding the quota fixed for such appointment such employee wonld
  be entitled to get the credit of continnous officiation in fixing seniority
  provided such ad hoc or temporary appointment had been made by a
  regularly constituted body for holding the selection of the candidates to be
  appointed. In the instant case, the respondent was not selected by a
G regularly constituted selection body for giving ad hoc appointments to the
  post of Storekeeper and on such selection he had continued in ad hoc
  service till regular appointment to such post was made. On the contrary,
  the case of the respondent is that while he had been holding ad hoc posts,
  he got selected on a regular basis to the said post of Storekeeper. In our
H view, the principle enunciated in Direct Recruits Class II Engineering Officers
                                         360
                  CHIEFOFNAVALSTAFF v. G.G.PILLAI                      361

Association is not applicable in the facts of this case because the initial A
appointment of the respondent by way of ad hoc arrangement, was not
made by following the procedure laid down by the Rules as referred to in
Condition-B in the said decision. [363-B-E]

     Direct Recrnits Class II Enginee1ing Office1~ Association v. State of
Maharashtra and Other, [1990] 2 SCC 715 and Union of India v.Ansusekhar       8
Guin and Others, [1989] 1 SCC 283, distinguished.

        Union of India & Anr. v. S.K Sharma, [1992] 2 SCC 728, referred to.

        CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 11923 of
1995.                                                                         c
      From the Judgment and Order dated 2.6.94 of the Central Ad-
ministrative Tribunal, Ernakulam Bench in OA. NO. 1507/93.

     Dr. Anand Prakash, Mrs. Anil Katiyar and Ms. A. Subhashini for the
Appeilants.                                                                   D
        J.B. Dadachanji & Co., A.Z. Singh Pasrich for the Respondents.

        The following Order of the Court was delivered :

        Leave granted.                                                        E

       Heard learned counsel for the parties. The short question which
arises for consideration is whether or not the Central Administrative
Tribunal by the impugned judgment dated June 2.1994 passed in 0.A. No.
1507 of 1993 has correctly decided the question of seniority of the respon-
dent Sri G. Gopalkrishnan Pillai. It is an admitted case that the said Sri F
Pillai was given ad hoc appointment to the post of Storekeeper at Goa and
while he had been continuing in such ad hoc appointments, he was
regularised in the post of Storekeeper. The Naval Department has given
appropriate fitment in the scale of a Storekeeper to Sri Pillai after giving
credit for the officiation in the said post but so far as the seniority to the G
cadre of Storekeeper is concerned, the seniority has been given only from
the date when he was regularised in the post of Storekeeper. Sri Pillai felt
aggrieved for not getting seniority by computing the period spent on ad
hoc service as a Storekeeper. Claiming seniority by reckoning ad hoc
service, he made a representation to the Naval Department which was
rejected.                                                                      H
    362                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1995] SUPP. 6 S.C.R.

A         Thereafter, the Central Administrative Tribunal was moved by the
    respondent contending inter alia that as he had been officiating on ad hoc
    basis in the post of Storekeeper continuously till he was selected and
    regularly appointed to the post of Storekeeper, the entire period of con-
    tinuous officiation would enure to his benefit for the purpose of fixing
    seniority in the cadre of Storekeeper. Such contention has been accepted
B   by the Central. Administrative Tribunal by the impugned order. It has been
    directed that Sri Pillai should be given seniority to the post of Storekeeper
    from the date he started officiating in the said post and all consequential
    benefits flowing from such seniority should also be given to him.

C          The learned senior counsel appearing for the appellant has submitted
    before us that ad hoc appointments to the said post of Storekeeper had
    been given to the respondent by clearly indicating in the orders of ad hoc
    appointment that such appointment on ad hoc basis would not confer any
    right to claim seniority in the said post. That apart, law is well settled that
D   in the absence of any specific rule of service by which a person holding an
    ad hoc post will be entitled to get seniority to the said post if he is later
    on selected on a regular basis to the post, the holder of ad hoc post is not
    entitled to claim seniority on the basis of ad hoc service. In support of such
    contention reliance has been made to a decision of Court in Union of India
    & Anr. v. S.K Shanna, [1992] 2 SCC 728. It has been held in the said
E   decision that ad hoc service cannot be counted for determining seniority.
    In the said decision, the earlier decision of the Constitution Bench of this
    Court in Direct Reen.tits Class II Engineering Officers' Association v. State
    of Maharashtra and Ors, [1990] 2 SCC 't ij :..as also been referred to and
    relied on.
F
         The learned counsel for the respondent engaged by the Supreme
  Court Legal Aid Committee, has, however, submitted that it is an admitted
  position in this case that Sri Pillai has been regularly selected to the post
  of Storekeeper and appointed to such post. Prior to such selection and
  appointment to the post of Storekeeper on regular basis, Sri Pillai had
G continuously officiated in the post of Storekeeper on the basis of ad hoc
  appointments given to him. If an employee is ultimately selected on a
  regular basis to a post in which he had continuously officiated, than even
  if such employee had held the post on!y on ad hoc basis, he will be entitled
  to claim seniority from the date of ad hoc appointment. In support of such
H contention, the learned counsel has relied on a decision of this Court in
                CHIEFOFNAVALSTAFF v. G.G.PILLAI                        363

Union of India v. Ansusekltar Guin and Others, [1989] 1 SCC 283. It, A
however, appears to us that in the said case, this Court has only reiterated
the principle that if an employee had been appointed on ad hoc or
temporary basis exceeding the quota fixed for such appointment such
employee would be entitled to get the credit of continuous officiation in
fixing seniority provided such ad hoc or temporary appointment had been
                                                                               B
made by a regularly constituted body for holding the selection of the
candidates to be appointed. In the instant case, the respondent Sri Pillai
was not selected by a regularly constituted selection body for giving ad
hoc appointments to the post of Storekeeper and on such selection he had
continued in ad hoc service till regular appointment to such post was made.
On the contrary, the case of Sri Pillai is that while he had been holding ad C
hoc posts, he got selected on a regular basis to the said post of Storekeeper.
Hence, the decision relied on by the learned counsel for the respondent is
not applicable in the facts and circumstances of this case. It also appears
to us that the Tribunal in passing the impugned order has relied on
condition 'B' as referred to in the decision of the Constitution Bench in D
Direct Rectuits Class II Engineering Officers' Association (supra) in support
of the impugned order. In our view, the principle enunciated in the said
case is not applicable in the facts of this case because the initial appoint-
ment of Sri Pillai by way of ad hoc arrangement, was not made by following
the procedure laid down by the Rules as referred to in Condition-B in the
said decision. Hence, the decision of the Tribunal cannot be sustained. We, E
therefore, allow this appeal and set aside the impugned order without
however any order as to costs.

G.N.                                                      Appeal allowed.