Assistant/Senior Technical Assistant/Chief Draughtsmen. Further, a 20 point roster was to be followed in the chronological order of Foremen, SSA, STA and Chief Draughtsmen. Later, vide OM dated 16.06.1998, on the recommendations of the Board of Arbitration, the petitioner allowed 41% of STAs to be placed in the pay scale of Rs. 2375-3500 w.e.f. 01.01.1988 but, according to the respondents herein this was only a placement and did not amount to promotion, as the benefit of FR 22 (1) (a) was not extended. Later, upon the recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission, STAs in the higher pay grade have been redesignated as „STA-I‟ and the remaining have been designated as „STAII‟. The petitioners had not held any DPC for the post of JSO from 1994 to 2000 which resulted in accumulation of vacancies. In 2000, vide SRO 84 dated 21.03.2000 and notified on 08.04.2000, i.e. the amended Recruitment Rules, the promotion to the grade of JSO was from the feeder cadres of Foreman/SSA/Chief Draughtsman/STA-I in the respective disciplines. While preparing the panel all the vacancies were clubbed and the panel has been formed on the basis of the amended Recruitment Rules. While 15 STAs would have been empanelled as per the old Rules, only 9 STAs were included as per the new Rules as now only STA-I stood as a feeder cadre to the exclusion of the persons now categorised as STA-II. It was also submitted that in the panel impugned, STAs were placed en bloc junior to Foremen, Chief Draftsman and SSAs, which is not permissible as per law. The submissions of the respondents before the Tribunal were that the failure of the petitioners herein to follow the old Recruitment Rules, including the 20-point roster, fewer posts have been allotted to STAs. It was incumbent upon the petitioners herein to follow the old Recruitment Rules as the new Rules had no retrospective effect and vacancies occurred prior to the
