ANIL KUMAR Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners in this case are employees of the National Horticulture Board the second respondent in these proceedings (hereafter called NHBG'). They are aggrieved by orders dated 27.5.2003, 29.5.2003 and 2.6.2003 issued by respondents by which in increment granted to them earlier order was withdrawn and a re-designation order issued by the second respondent was also cancelled.

(2.) The petitioner are working with the NHB. Pursuant to the ISO 9001 : 2000 certification of the NHB in the year 2002, all of them and the other officers of the NHB were granted an additional increment. The petitioners rely upon an advertisement issue in the press, intimating that the Union Minister for Agriculture received the ISO certification on behalf of the NHB; that advertisement also cites that the achievement was possible because of the efforts of the 90 professionals in the NHB.

(3.) The NHB by an order dated 20th December, 2002 in terms of the power delegated to the Managing Director as per Staff Rules of the Board [particularly, Rule 38(2) of Chapter IV] sanctioned an additional increment to all the officers and the staff members in the regular establishment. It excepted/ excluded accepted the operation of that order in respect of three officials. The same order also conferred the benefit of re-designation of existing posts in respect of all the personnel.