DR. S.C.V. REDDY, AND ORS. ETC.versusSTATE OF KARNATAKA AND ORS.

                 DR. S.C.V. REDDY, AND ORS. ETC.                                 A
                                      v.
                 STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ORS.

                             MARCH 27, 1997

           [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.B. PATTANAIK, JJ.]                                B

      lv~ysore Ag1icultural Depmtment Se1vice (Recruitment) Rules, 1961 :


         Service Law-Direct recruits and promotees-Determination of
senio1ity-Mysore Agiicultural State Se1vice Cadre-Method of recruitment          C
from different sources presC1ibed in 1961--Rules which came into effect from
26th Septembe1; 1961--Rule provided ratio for direct recmits and promotees
for filling up of various posts-f'ursua/lf to the recommendation of the Mysore
Pay Commission desigiiation of valious Officers changed with effect from 23
Septembe1; 1970-1961 Rules superseded by another Rules which became
effective from 26 August, 1976-These Rules prescribed ratio of 50% for direct    D
recmits and 50% for promotees-With effect from 8.9.1978 it was again
changed to 25% and 75o/u-Seniority detennined between direct recntits and
promotees-T1ibunal held that between 1961 to 1976 there was not Rule in
operation between direct recmit and promotees-Appeal before Supreme
Cowt-Held 1961 Rules prescribed the ratio-Merely because nomenclature            E
were changed those posts do not stand abolished-In these circumstances, the
 Tiibwzal was incorrect in its conclusion that there was no rule operating
during that period for reservation of the direct recruit and the
promotees--Respondent's directed to detennine inter se seniolity between
direct recntits and promotees according to presoibed ratio.
                                                                                 F
      CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal Nos. 2710-15
of 1997.

     From the Judgment and Order dated 24.1.96/3.4.96/25.3.96 of the
Karnataka Administrative Tribunal, Bangalore in A. Nos. 1405, 1564/92, G
UA-621/96, U.A. No. 530 of 1996.

     D.D. Thakur, V. Laxminarayan, Mrs. Rakhi Ray, Ms. Bina Gupta
and T. Sudha for the Appellants.

      S.R. Bhat, K.K. Tyagi, KR. Nagaraja and P. Mahale for the H
                               397
    398                  SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  [1997] 3 S.C.R.

A Respondents.

          The f91lowing Order of the Court was delivered :

          Leave granted. We have heard learned counsel on both sides.

B        These appeals by special leave arise from the order of the Karnataka
    Administrative Tribunal, Bangalore Bench, made on January 24, 1996 in
    Application Nos. 1405 & 1564 of 1992 and batch.

          The admitted position is that the Governor, in exercise of the power
  under proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution has constituted, for the
C first time, the Mysore Agricultural State Service Cadre. Therein, Class II
  posts consist of Assistant Directors, District Agricultural Officers, Cotton
  Development Officers, Horticultural Development Officer, Senior Assis-
  tant of Research Section, Professors-Class II, Superintendents of Agricul-
  tural Research Stations and Agronomists and Assistant Soil Conservation
D Officers and Apiarist. The method of recruitment from different sources
  has been prescribed by the rules called Mysore Agricultural Department
  Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1961 issued by the Governor in exercise of
  the power under proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution which came into
  effect from September 26, 1961. Therein, 25% posts of Assistant Directors
  are reserved for direct recruitment and 75% for promotees from Extension
E Officers (Agriculture). The method of direct recruitment has been
  provided in column 3. Similarly, 50% posts of Senior Assistant of Research
  Sections & Professors Class-II are reserved for by direct recruitment and
  50% by promotion of Scientific Assistants, Equally, for Superintendents
  of Agricultural Research Stations and Agronomists, 50% is by direct
F recruitment and 50% is by promotion from the cadre of Agricultural
  Extension Officers and Scientific Assistants. For the posts of Assistant Soil
  Conservation Officers, 33-1/3% is by direct recruitment and 66-2/3% by
  promotion from the post of Extension Officer (Agriculture) N.E.S. Blocks
  who have undergone training in Soil Conservation. For Apiarist, by direct
  recruitment or by promotion of Research and Teaching Assistants in
G Entomology who have undergone training in Agriculture for which is no
  quota. Subsequently, these designations of the officers have been changed
  by the proceedings as a result of the Mysore Pay Commission report of
  1968. The redesignated posts have come into effect frcim September 23,
  1970. As many as 31 categories of posts have been enumerated with
H redesignations in Class II posts. Subsequently, the question of inter-se
                       DR. S.C.V. REDDY v. STATE                          399

seniority cropped up at different stages and pursuant to the directions A
issued by the Tribunal also. In exercise of the power by the Governor by
Notification dated March 11, 1992, the Government have issued seniority
list working out the respective ratio between the direct recruitment and the
promotees, as enumerated in Annexure I to the Notification. Clause 1 read
as under :
                                                                                 B
        "The C & R Rules of Agriculture Department came into effect on
        26.9.1961 and subsequently superseded by Notification No. AF 39
        ADO 72(ii), dated 18th August, 1976 which came into effect from
        26th August 1976. It was herein provided for recruitment to the
        cadre of Agriculture Officers to the extent of 50% by promotion          C
        and 50% by Direct Recruitment. However, the said 1976 Rules
        have been amended vide Notification No. AAH 161 ADO 77,
        dated 8.9.1978 altering the ratio to 25% by direct recruitment and
        75% by promotion. Therefore, quota for direct recruitment and
        promotion during the periods from 26.9.1961 to 25.8.1976 and
        26.8.1976 to 7.9.1978 is taken at 1 : 1 respectively and at 1 : 4 from   D
        8.9.1978 onwards."

     Clause 5 says :

        "Vacancies occurred and their regular utilisation for direct recruit-
        ment and promotion has been taken into account while computing           E
        vacancies."

     In Clause 6 it is stated that :

        "interest seniority between direct recruitment and promotion in the
        block period is determined based on length of continuous officia-        F
        tion."

     Clause 9 says :

       "A gradation list of Assistant Agriculture Officers as on 28.9.1961 ·
       was published by the Director of Agriculture on 5th January 1979. G
       Subsequently another rectified gradation list published on 16th
       January 1989 has been set aside by the Government in G.O. No.
       AHD 45 AGP 89, dated 19th June 1990 and consequently the list
       dated 5.1.1979 stands restored and has been taken into considera-
       tion while preparing the gradation list of Agriculture Officers as H
    400                      SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  [1997] 3 S.C.R.

A            on 1.1.1989."

           Clause 11 postulates the existence of various vacancies required to
    be filled up by direct recruitment and by promotion, as enumerated there-
    m.

B            "The vacancies utilised have been re-worked and quotas fixed. The
             Block-wise vacancies and quotas for direct recruitment and
             promotions are as under :

                                       Direct
c    Block              Vacancies          Direct              Promotion
                        utilised           Recruitment         Quota
                                           Quota
     I                                     278                 279
     II                 1                  26                  26
D
     III                22                 56                  167
     IV                 10                                     83
     v                                      1                  215
     TOTAL                                 456                 770
E
           On the basis thereof, in paragraph 12 it is stated that as against the
     quota of 456 for direct recruitment, 35 have been utilised and 421 vacancies
    have been carried forward. In paragraph 13, it is stated that as against the
    quota of 770 for promotees, 1195 promotions have been effected including
F   .ISS lists. Thereby, 420 promoted persons have been occupying the posts
    reserved for direct recruitment in excess of their quota.

           The question, therefore, is what is that ratio in which the inter se
    seniority required to be determined and the posts filled up. As stated
    earlier, from 1961 to 1976, the promotion in the existing vacancies between
G   direct recruits and the promotees had to be given as. per the respective
    ratio which, for the first time, was charged for Class II posts by proceedings
    of the year 1976. The Notification was issued on August 18, 1976 which
    became effective from August 26, 1976. Therein, the ratio was 50% for
    direct recruitment and 50% for promotees. Subsequently, it was again
H   changed into 25% and 75% w.e.f. 8.9.1978 with which we are not con-
                      DR. S.C.V. REDDYv. STATE                          401

cerned. We are concerned only with the vacancies that were required to A
be apportioned between direct recruits and foe promotees between 1961
to 1976. The Tribunal in the order has held that it is "no-rule period". In
view of the above position, the conclusion reached by the Tribunal that
there was no rule in operation between direct recruit and promotees during
that period in question is obviously incorrect.
                                                                               B
      Shri S.R. Bhat, learned counsel for the respondents, sought to sup-
port the impugned order on the ground that only a few out 31 categories,
enumerated later, contain the specific enumeration done 1961 Rules and,
therefore, the Tribunal was right in its conclusion that no ratio was in
operation between the direct recruit and the promotees in the respective       C
posts during no rule period. We are unable to agree with his contention.
It is not his case that posts were abolished and new posts have been
created. It is seen that previously existing posts were designated by giving
new nomenclatures to various posts. Under these circumstances, merely
because nomenclature have been changed those posts do not stand
abolished. It would be obvious that the posts were existing and on that        D
premise the Government worked out the existing posts and apportioned
them between the direct recruitment and the promotees on the basis of the
percentage prescribed at the relevant time. Under these circumstances, we
are of the view that the Tribunal was incorrect in its conclusion that there
was no rule operating during that period for reservation of the direct         E
recruit and the promotees in the proportion enumerated hereinbefore. The
Government is, therefore, directed to work out the proportion of the posts,
in the ratios, as indicated earlier, between the direct recruit and the
promotees and then determine the inter se seniority on that basis, within a
period of six months from the date of receipt of the order.
                                                                               F
      The appeal& are, accordingly allowed. No costs.

T.N.A.                                                    Appeals allowed.