AJAY KUMAR PURI Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Cm APPL.1344/2021 Exemption allowed, subject to all just exceptions. W.P. (C) 520/2021

(2.) The petitioners are presently working as Assistant Accounts Officers (AAOs) in their parent cadre with the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD). In response to an Advertisement issued by the Department of Telecommunications (for short, "DoT"), Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India, through Circulars dated 27th December, 2012/5th November, 2012 and with reference to letter dated 1st October, 2012 of the Assistant Director General (SEA), Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India, Sanchar Bhawan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi, they applied for appointment as AAOs. Having passed the Departmental AAO exam and fulfilling the eligibility conditions, they were taken on deputation by the DoT. Some of the copies of the appointment offers have been placed on the record as Annexure P-4 to the O.A. No.3380 of 2019, which was filed before the Central Administrative Tribunal (for short, the "Tribunal").

(3.) This O.A. had been filed with a grievance that the petitioners had been treated at par with the "promotees" by the DoT when in actual fact they ought to have been treated as "direct recruits" as per the Recruitment Rules of 2018 and granted the minimum pay-scale of "direct recruits" of Rs.13,350/- corresponding to the Grade Pay of Rs.4800/- instead of what they had been given i.e. the pay-scale of Rs.9300 - 34,800/- + Grade Pay of Rs.4800/-.