TARUN Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By way of this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution, the petitioners, 118 in number, seek a direction to respondent No. 4 - Central Bank of India ["the Bank"] to give preference to the petitioners for appointment to the post of Clerk, on the ground that they are trained apprentices, and to provide reservation for trained apprentices for the said post. Although the writ petition also contains a prayer for absorption of the petitioners into the services of the Bank upon completion of their apprenticeship, this relief was not pressed at the time of hearing.

(2.) The petitioners were all apprentices in the Bank during the period from June 2023 to July 2024. They were appointed pursuant to a notification issued by the Bank in March 2023 for engagement of apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961 ["the Act"], in accordance with the Bank's apprenticeship policy. The notification provided, inter alia, as follows:

(3.) The petitioners were appointed under similar engagement letters. A copy of the engagement letter dtd. 4/9/2023, issued to the petitioner No.1, has been placed on record, which refers to a contract to be signed by the apprentice.