R K KALRA Vs. VIDESH SANCHAR NIGAM LID

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition is directed against the order of the respondents transferring the petitioner to Madras from New Delhi on promotion as Deputy General Manager. The petitioner seeks quashing of the order of his transfer and requiring him to relinquish charge in Delhi where he had been working as Engineer-in-Charge. Admittedly the petitioner is working in a service where he is liable to transfer all over the country.

(2.) The petitioner was appointed Assistant Engineer on 1 June 1976 and his initial appointment was at Dehradun where he worked upto 7 October 1979. He was transferred to New Delhi on the same post on 8 October 1979 where he worked upto 23 June 1985. He was promoted as Deputy Engineer-in-Charge and remained posted in New Delhi upto 8 July 1989. Thereafter as Engineer-in-Charge he was transferred to Bombay where he took charge on 10 July 1989 and remained there upto 4 November 1990. During the period of his posting at Bombay the petitioner was sent abroad for training etc. and after his return he was posted at New Delhi as Engineer-in-Charge w.e.f. 5 November 1990 till the impugned order of transfer was made.

(3.) The petitioner has challenged his transfer on two grounds: (1) that it was against the policy, and (2) that it had been done because of his filing earlier a writ petition (C.WNo. 1343/92) wherein he had challenged the seniority list. In that petition in fact there are three petitioners and as many as 13 respondents. The petitioners therein say that respondents 6 to 13 could not have been senior to them. Contention of the petitioner on this ground is that his transfer is malafide.