OM PRAKASH SHARMA Vs. STATE OF CHHATTISGARH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. Somkant Verma and Mr. Rishi Kant Mahobia, learned counsel for the petitioners. Also heard Mr. S.S. Baghel, learned Deputy Government Advocate, appearing for the respondent No. 1 and 2/State and Mr. Dhiraj Wankhede, learned counsel, appearing for the respondent No. 3/UGC.

(2.) The present petition has been filed by the petitioners with the following prayers :

(3.) Brief facts of the case are that the petitioners are Laboratory Technicians working in different Colleges of the State of Chhattisgarh. They are governed by the M.P. Class III Service Recruitment and Promotion (Mahavidhyala Shakha) Rules, 1974. Petitioner No. 1 was first appointed as a Laboratory Assistant (Psychology) in Govt. Kamla Devi Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Rajnandgaon, vide order dtd. 7/1/1985, on a temporary ad hoc basis for a period of 89 days. Likewise, the other petitioners were also appointed as Laboratory Technicians in their respective Colleges and have been working in the said posts for the last 2225 years on a single-cadre post. Petitioner No. 1 joined service on 7/1/1985 itself, Petitioner No. 2 joined on 11/6/1984, and Petitioner No. 6 joined on 2/7/2013. Out of a total of 146 Technicians who were regularised, most of them have retired from service without any promotion. They continued in their jobs until the year 1989, and vide order dtd. 31/8/1989, their services were regularised and a fresh appointment order was issued. They were regularised as Laboratory Technicians in the pay scale of 1200-40-1440-1800 and were posted in the same institutions. Since the date of regularisation, the petitioners have been working in their respective institutions as Laboratory Technicians without any dispute.