STATE BANK OF INDIA SCHEDULED CASTE TRIBE EMPLOYEES WELFARE ASSOCIATION STATE BANK OF INDIA Vs. STATE BANK OF INDIAS:S NARASIMHA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Writ Petition Nos. 13671-72 of 1984 are filed by the State Bank of India Scheduled Caste/Tribe Employees' Welfare Association, Chandigarh challenging the reservation policy framed by the State Bank of India reserving certain posts for employees belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on promotion at the stage of from "Award Cadre" to the Junior Management Grade Cadre. The same policy was challenged before the Andhra Pradesh High Court by some of the employees of the State Bank of India working with the Hyderabad Circle in Writ Petition bearing Nos. 7237 / 82, 10149/84 and 1786/86 filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Civil Appeal Nos. 3937-39 of 1986 are from the decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in these writ petitions.

(2.) Since all these matters raise certain common questions they have been heard together. Prior to 1974 there was no provision for reservation of vacancies for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the matter of internal promotion in the State Bank of India. In 1974, it was decided to grant a concession to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees in the matter of promotions. When such promotions were to be made on the basis of a selection procedure by way of written tests and interview, it was decided that a concession to the extent of 5% in qualifying marks in the written test and 10% in the interviews would be given to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees. It was also decided that interviews of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees would be taken in separate sittings in order to avoid a comparison of their standards with the standard of general candidates.

(3.) In January 1978 , the Government of India decided to extend the policy or reservations to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees in the Nationalised Bank in the matter of promotions. The Government of India advised each of the Nationalised Bank to formulate its own policy of such reservation on the basis of a scheme already formulated by the Reserve Bank of India for its own employees and on the basis of various guidelines issued by the Government in this regard in the past from time to time, with such modifications as each bank may consider necessary. Accordingly, the State Bank of India issued a Circular dated 3-4-1978 setting out its scheme of reservation in favour of its Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees in the matter of promotion. The scheme was to be operated with effect from 1st of March, 1978. We are concerned with this scheme insofar as it deals with promotions made from the Award Cadre to the Supervising Cadres.