NISHE N P Vs. V V MUTHUSWAMY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) ALL these Writ Appeals raised certain common questions of fact and law.

(2.) THE appellants in all these appeals are employees of the Kerala State Electricity Board, a respondent in each of these appeals. THE Kerala Electricity Board decided to fill up certain posts of Senior Assistants some time in the year 1991 and the recruitment was conducted through the Kerala Public Service Commission. THErefore, the P.S.C issued a notification dated 15.2.1991 inviting applications from the eligible candidates. It may be mentioned that the recruitment was confined to the post of Senior Assistants, reserved in favour of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories. Eventually, a ranked list was published by the P.S.C on 10.2.1995. All the successful candidates, it appears, were advised on 6.4.1995 to report to the employer. In the interregnum between the abovementioned two dates, the Electricity Board promoted a large number of their employees to the posts of Senior Assistants. It appears that though the posts of Senior Assistants in the establishment of the Electricity Board are normally to be filled up by promotion from the feeder category, under Rule 17A of Part-II of the Kerala State and Subordinate Services Rules, 1958, some of the posts of Senior Assistants are reserved to be filled up with the members belonging to SC/ST by the process of direct recruitment.