MARY V. ABRAHAM Vs. THE CHAIRMAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioners in this O.P.(CAT) are the applicants in O.A. No. 640/2011 on the file of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Ernakulam Bench. They are retired Paramedical Staff of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a constituent centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

(2.) THE petitioners joined service on 15/1/1972, 20/9/1974, 20/6/1975, 10/5/1973, 3/10/1974 and 17/4/1973, respectively and they retired from service on 31/5/2007, 30/11/2007, 30/11/2008, 31/5/2009, 31/8/2009 and 31/10/2009, respectively, after rendering 33 to 36 years of service. According to the petitioners, as per the norms prescribed by the ISRO, all those who join with a post -metric qualification in the Scientific/Technical category have promotional opportunities up to the grade equal to that of Sr. Technician 'C' which carry the pay scale Rs. 10,000 -15,200/ -. While so, the paramedical category alone is singled out and provided only two promotion grades 'B' and 'C' in the pay scale Rs. 5,000 -8,000/ - and Rs. 5,500 -9,000/ -, respectively. Accordingly, two promotions were granted to the petitioners on completion of about 6 years of service. Due to lack of further promotional avenues/higher grades, they had been stagnating in Grade 'C' till the year 2003. The ISRO, in the year 2003, created one higher grade in the pay scale Rs. 6,500 -10,500/ -, as Grade 'D', which was later re -designated as Senior 'B' and accordingly, the petitioners were placed in that pay scale in April, 2003, and continued till their retirement from service.

(3.) IN July, 2011, the petitioners approached the Tribunal in O.A. No. 640/2011, seeking a declaration that, the Paramedical Staff and other Scientific/Technical Staff in the non -core sectors are similar in relation to the activities of the ISRO and in view of the ISRO norms, and that, the Paramedical Staff in the ISRO are subjected to hostile discrimination in regard to career opportunities. They also sought an order directing the respondents to consider the question of extending them the benefit of Annexure A4 OM dated 12/3/1998 and to fix notionally all the promotions and grant them all consequential monetary and pensionary benefits in terms of Annexure A4 OM.