SUBASH CHAND PANDEY Vs. STATE OF U P

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Sri'Ashok Khare, Senior Advocate assisted by Sri V.D. Chauhan for petitioners and Sri Sudhir Agarwal, Additional Advocate General as well as Sri M.C. Chaturvedi, Additional Standing Counsel for State respondents.

(2.) With consent of parties, this batch of writ petitions is finally decided at this stage.

(3.) The petitioners in this batch of writ petitions are Kisan Sahayaks, of Agriculture Department,; Sugarcane Supervisor of Sugarcane Department, and Gram Vikas Adhikari of Gramya Vikas Department, all Class III employees in the services of Government of U.P., transferred by the State Government vide Government Order dated 12.4.1999, as Multi-Purpose Panehayat Workers, and were serving as Gram Panehayat Vikas Adhikaris in various Gram Sabhas in the State. By these writ petitions, they have prayed for quashing Government Order dated 20.7.2004 issued by the Chief Secretary, Government of U.P., by which a decision was taken, on account of certain difficulties felt by the departments with regard to technical qualifications and complicated procedures, to repatriate these employees to their parent department for discharging their duties. They shall cease to function as multi-purpose workers, but will continue to discharge their duties assigned by their respective departments at Gram Vikas Employees under the administrative and financial control of Gram Panchayats. The Government Order also provides for fresh criteria for appointment of Gram Panehayat Vikas Adhikaris based on the population of the Gram Panchayats.