Single Judge allowed writ petition relying on coordinate bench judgment in Om Prakash case. Court directed respondents to treat petitioners senior to others appointed in same common selection based on merit list placement.
Respondents directed to treat petitioners senior to respondents No.4 to 8 as per their placement in the merit list.
This page shows the compact analysis of this judgement. The full analysis — procedural history, issue-by-issue holdings with ratio and obiter, advocates, and paragraph-level evidence for every claim — is being added to the record in batches and will appear here when this judgement has been through it.
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT
JODHPUR
S.B. Civil Writ No. 49/2019
----Petitioners
Versus
----Respondents
For Petitioner(s) : Mr.J.S. Bhaleria. For Respondent(s) :
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ARUN BHANSALI
Order
(2 of 4)
[CW-49/2019]
15/01/2019
It is submitted by learned counsel for the petitioners that for the same recruitment, similarly situated petitioners had approached Jaipur Bench of this Court in Om Prakash & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. : S.B. Civil Writ Petition No.21214/2017 , which writ petition has been decided on 21.11.2017 granting relief to the petitioners in light of judgment in the case of Hemlata Shrimali & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. : S.B. Civil Writ Petition No.3247/2015, decided on 1.4.2015 and relying upon the adjudication in the case of Suman Bai & Anr. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. : 2009 (1) WLC (Raj.) 381 and, therefore, the present writ petition may also be decided in light of judgment in the case of Om Prakash (supra).
In the case of Om Prakash (supra), the Bench at Jaipur after noticing orders in the case of Hemlata Shrimali (supra) and Suman Bai (supra) observed as under:-
“Learned counsel for the petitioners, at the very outset, submits that the controversy raised in the instant writ application stands resolved in view of the adjudication made by a Coordinate Bench of this Court in a batch of writ applications lead case being S.B. Civil Writ Petition Number 3247/2015: Hemlata Shrimali & Ors. Versus State of Rajasthan & Ors., decided on 1st Apri., 2015, relying upon the adjudication in the case of Suman Bai & Anr. Versus State of Rajasthan & Ors.: 2009 (1) WLC (Raj.) 381, observing thus:
“5. Upon consideration of the arguments aforesaid and the judgment of the Division Bench in Hari Ram and the subsequent order dated 21.7.2001 whereby clarification application of the State Government was dismissed, I find that the entitlement of the petitioner for appointment on the basis of originally prepared merit list cannot be denied. If admittedly the candidates, who are lower in merit, have been granted appointment, those who are above them in the merit cannot be denied such right of
(3 of 4)
[CW-49/2019]
appointment. Seniority as per the rules in the case of direct recruitment on the post in question is required to be assigned on the basis of placement of candidates in the select list and when the selection is common and the merit list on the basis of which appointments were made is also common, right to secure appointment to both the set of employees thus flows from their selection which in turn is based on merit. Regard being had to all these facts, merely because one batch of employee approached this Court later and another earlier, and both of them having been appointed, the candidates who appeared lower in merit cannot certainly be placed at a higher place in seniority. It was on this legal analogy that Division Bench of this Court in Niyaz Mohd.Khan (supra) held that the petitioner therein entitled to be placed in seniority in order of merit of common selection amongst persons appointed in pursuance of the same selection with effect from the date person lower in order of merit than the petitioner was appointed with consequential benefits.
(4 of 4)
[CW-49/2019]
petition filed by the petitioners was dismissed. Question with regard to correct and wrong assignment of seniority having arisen subsequent to appointment of the petitioners would obviously give rise to a afresh cause of action. The writ petition filed by the petitioners, therefore, cannot be thrown either barred by resjudicata or otherwise improperly constituted.
Learned counsel for the petitioners further submits that instant writ application be also disposed off in terms of the order dated 24th May, 2017, as extracted herein above.
Ordered accordingly.”
In view of the submissions made, the present writ petition filed by the petitioners is also disposed of in light of order passed in the case of Om Prakash (supra).
(ARUN BHANSALI),J
43-Rmathur/-
3 issues framed by the court
Whether the present writ petition should be disposed of in light of the judgment in Om Prakash & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. regarding seniority in common recruitment
Whether petitioners entitled to seniority based on merit list placement despite prior appointments
Whether reliance on coordinate bench judgment precludes fresh consideration of identical facts
Colour shows how this judgement treated each authority
Om Prakash & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors.Followed¶21
Om Prakash & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. : S.B. Civil Writ Petition No.21214/2017
Hemlata Shrimali & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors.Relied on¶21
Hemlata Shrimali & Ors. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. : S.B. Civil Writ Petition No.3247/2015
Suman Bai & Anr. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors.Referred¶21
Suman Bai & Anr. v. State of Rajasthan & Ors. : 2009 (1) WLC (Raj.) 381
Niyaz Mohd.Khan (supra)Referred¶26
Niraj Joshi
Sandeep Shotriy
Sanjay Kumar Khoiwal
Hansa Kumari Fathapuriya
State Of Rajasthan
The Director, Elementary Education, Govt. Of Rajasthan, Bikaner
Arun Bhansali
As recorded by the court registry
Judgements on the same questions, provisions and authorities, from every court
