A. SHANMUGAM Vs. DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The employees, who have slept over their rights, cannot wake up one fine morning and knock the doors of the Court for the purpose of redressal of their grievances, which all are otherwise lapsed on account of efflux of time.

(2.) In the present case, the writ petitioner was appointed as Grade-II Police Constable on 23/12/1985 and promoted as Grade-I Police Constable on 1/11/1989 and thereafter as Head Constable on 8/12/1989. The petitioner was promoted as Sub-Inspector of Police on 1/4/2003 and thereafter as Inspector of Police on 22/7/2011. Even at the time of filing of the present writ petition, the petitioner was working as Inspector of Police. However, the claim of the writ petitioner is that he is entitled to be promoted retrospectively in the cadre of Head Constable as the date of his promotion as Head Constable was erroneous.

(3.) The Courts have repeatedly held that in respect of seniority and promotions, settled seniority cannot be unsettled after lapse of several years. Admittedly, the petitioner was promoted as Head Constable during the year 1989 and at that point of time, the petitioner has not pursued the grievances vigilantly. Contrarily, he allowed the time to lapse and submitted an application on 7/10/2010, which was rejected by the third respondent in proceedings dtd. 17/12/2013, which is impugned in the present writ petition.