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Supreme Court of India

U.P STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPN. THROUGH ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR AND ANR.versusGOBARDHAN AND ANR.

Citation
1996 INSC 1089
Decided
20 September 1996
Disposal
Disposed off

Holding

After the cancellation of the waiting‑list procedure, candidates on the list must be considered according to the corporation's rules, and the corporation is directed to appoint the senior candidate as a special case.

Summary

The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation prepared a waiting list of 414 candidates for conductor posts to be filled during peak seasons or vacancies. The corporation cancelled the waiting‑list procedure in July 1980, yet later appointed several junior candidates from the list, some of whom were regularised. Gobardhan, a senior candidate on the list, missed the newspaper notification and was not appointed, prompting a writ petition which the Allahabad High Court directed the corporation to appoint him. On appeal, the Supreme Court held that although candidates on a waiting list have no vested right, the corporation must consider those on the list in accordance with its own rules, especially where juniors have already been appointed. Consequently, the corporation was ordered to treat Gobardhan’s case as a special case and appoint him, while denying relief to any other candidates who did not approach the court. The appeal was disposed of without costs.

Issues considered

  • Whether a candidate on a waiting list acquires a legal right to appointment after the waiting‑list procedure is cancelled.
  • Whether the High Court was justified in directing the corporation to appoint the senior candidate based on the appointment of juniors.
  • Whether the corporation must consider the senior candidate as a special case and make the appointment.

Subjects

service lawrecruitmentwaiting listappointmentseniorityadministrative lawspecial leave petition

Judgment

A               U.P. STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPN.
             THROUGH ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR AND ANR.
                                v.
                       GOBARDHAN AND ANR.

                              SEPTEMBER 20, 1996
B
                 [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.B. PATTANAIK, JJ.)

            Service Law :

C       U.P State Road Transport Corporation-Waiting list of candidates to
  be-recruited during peak season or during suspension of conductors or against
  leave vacancy for 15 days or one month-Appointed after notification in
  newspapers-In respect of absentees seniority not adhered to and juniors
  appointed-Respondent not appointed though some of his juniors were ap-
  pointed and regularised-Filed writ petition-High Court directing the Cor-
D poration to appoint him-On appeal h;eld, after cancellation of the wait-list
  procedure, though no one has a right, those on the wait list need to be
  considered in accordance with the rules in view of the fact that their juniors
  got appointment and were even regularise~Appellant-Corporation directed
  to consider the case of respondent as a special case and make appointment
E according to the procedure-Others who had not approached or would ap-
  proach the Court belatedly would not be entitled to any relief

            CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 12286 of
    1996.

         From the Judgment and Order dated 31..8.95 of the Allahabad High
F   Court in W.P. No. 6727of1993.                                ·

            Pradeep Misra for the Appellants.

            S.K. Bhattacharya and P.K. Jain for the Respondents.

G           The following Order of the Court was delivered :

            Leave granted.

            We have heard learned counsel on both sides.

H           This appeal by special leave arises from the judgment of the Al-
                                        620



                                                           '
               U.P. STAIB RD. TPT. CORPN. v. GOBARDHAN                     621

  lahabad High Court made on August 31, 1995 in Writ Petition 6727/93. For A
  the recruitment in the year 1980, the Regional Manager of the appellant-
  Corporation had prepared a waiting list of 414 candidates to be recruited
  during peak season or during suspension of any conductors or against leave
. vacancy for L'i days or one month. It would appear that the list continued
  for 1980- 81, 1981-82 and 1982-83. The appointments were to be made
                                                                                B
  during the peak season by notification in the newspapers and whoever
  would come within 7 days would be given appointment. Thereafter, in
  respect of absentees, seniority was not being adhered to and juniors were
  given appointments. It would appear that the respondent is one of the
  candidates placed in the seniority list. Since he had not received the
  intimation, he did not join during the peak seasons. He filed a writ petition C
  in 1993 challenging his non-appoint, he took the plea that those juniors to
  him were already appointed and some of them were even regularised. The
  High Court has accepted the contention and given the direction to appoint
  him to the post of conductor since some of his juniors had come to be
  appointed, Thus, this appeal by special leave.
                                                                                  D
        Shri Pradeep Misra, learned counsel for the Corporation, has con-
 tended that the Corporation has evolved the principle of wait list to meet
 the contingencies during peak season etc. The wait- list, for the year 1980
 in fact was cancelled in July 19, 1980; the writ petition which came to be
 filed against the cancellation.were dismissed; the respondent filed the writ     E
 petition for the first time in 1983; from, 1988 onwards, the wait-list proce-
 dure has been dispensed with and, therefore, the High Court was not
 justified in giving the direction. Shri Bhattacharya, learned counsel for the
 respondent, contended that since the newspaper had no circulation in the
 region in which he was living he could not see the newspaper publication;        F
 as a result, he could not appear and join the post; but since his juniors
 came to be appointed and some of them were even regularised, he is also
 entitled to the same benefit. Though we find force in the contention of Shri
 Pradeep Misra that the candidates have no right to the post since they are
 in the wait-list, since the Corporation has already appointed some of the
 juniors who are in the waiting list, necessarily, before following that proce-   G
 dure, they should have given intimation to those candidates who were
 placed in the waiting list; if even then they do not turn up, then it could be
 taken that they have waived the right of appointment. But in this case, it
 might be that a candidate who was in the waiting list was under the
 expectation that he would get an order of appointment from the Corpora-          H
     622                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1996] SUPP. 6 S.C.R.

. A tion as and when the vacancy arises and may be he could not read the
     newspaper, though published. Under these circumstances, we think that
     after the cancellation of the wait-list procedure, though no one has a right;
     those who were on the wait list need to be considered in accordance with
     the rules in view of the fact that their juniors had got appointment and
 B   were even regularised. Therefore, the appellant are directed to consider
     the case of the respondent as a specia! case and make appointment
     according to the procedure.

          Any other persons who had not approached or would approach the
     Court belatedly, would not be entitled to any relief.
 c          The Appeal is accordingly disposed of. No costs.

     G.N.                                                      Appeals disposed.


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