M RAMESH KUMAR Vs. G. JAGAN MOHAN ACHARYA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Appointment to the post of Superintendent in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Tirupati, is by promotion from the cadre of Senior Assistants. Senior Assistants, in turn, are appointed from the categories of Junior Assistants (by promotion) and U.D. Stenos (by conversion). The dispute presently is as to the eligibility and reckoning of inter se seniority of these two categories in the cadre of Senior Assistants for promotion as Superintendents.

(2.) Writ Petition No. 26242 of 2006 was filed by 10 Senior Assistants, promoted from the category of Junior Assistants, assailing the action of the TTD in not finalizing the seniority list in the cadre of Senior Assistants; to declare that they were entitled to be promoted as Superintendents as per their seniority in the cadre of Senior Assistants; and to declare the action of the TTD in' seeking to promote respondents 3 to 5, Senior Assistants drawn from the category of U.D. Stenos by conversion, as Superintendents by placing them above the petitioners in the seniority in the cadre of Senior Assistants as illegal and contrary to the rules.

(3.) During the pendency of the above writ petition, the TTD finalized the seniority list of Senior Assistants under its proceedings dated 08.04.2007 and issued consequential Memos dated 08.04.2007 promoting 3 Senior Assistants, drawn from the category of U.D. Stenos by conversion, as Superintendents. Writ Petition No. 9908 of 2007 was filed by 5 other promotee Senior Assistants challenging the seniority list dated 08.04.2007 and the consequential Memos dated 08.04.2007 granting promotion to the converted Senior Assistants arrayed as respondents 2 to 4 therein. Pertinent to note, respondents 3 to 5 in W.P.No. 26242 of 2006 and respondents 2 to 4 in W.P.No. 9908 of 2007 are one and the same.