DAMIEN RONGRIN Vs. STATE OF MEGHALAYA AND OTHERS

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These intra court appeals, directed against the common order dated 06.11.2015, as passed by the learned Single Judge of this Court in a batch of Writ Petitions led by WP(C) No.290/2014, have been considered together; and are taken up for disposal by this common judgment.

(2.) By the impugned order dated 06.11.2015, the learned Single Judge has accepted the grievance of writ petitioners against the promotion order dated 09.07.2014, whereby the private respondents of the respective petitions had been promoted to the post of Assistant Enforcement Inspector, while holding, inter alia, that the State Government had been unjustified in issuing executive instructions to provide graduation as the essential educational qualification for promotion of Enforcement Checker to the post of Assistant Enforcement Inspector; and thereby causing prejudice to the writ petitioners, who were ranked senior as Enforcement Checkers but were non-graduates. The learned Single Judge has also found fault in the Government's action that the Meghalaya Public Service Commission ("MPSC") was not consulted for the purpose of the promotions in question.

(3.) The relevant background aspects of the matter are that the private parties to this litigation entered the service of the Government of Meghalaya in its Transport Department on the post of Enforcement Checker. The relevant particulars of parties (except respondent No. 7 of the writ petitions who had expired), in the order of their seniority, as occurring in the gradation list of Enforcement Checkers circulated on 28.08.2012, are as under:-