D L VISWA MURTHY Vs. T V MURALIDHAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Aggrieved by an order of the A.P. Administrative Tribunal, setting aside an order of transfer, a Forest Range Officer has come up with the above writ petition.

(2.) By G.O.Rt.No.130, Environment, Forests, Science & Technology Department, dated 04.07.2017, the Government ordered a chain of transfers. By the said order, the 1st respondent in this writ petition was transferred from the Forest Range Office, Penukonda Range of Ananthapur Division and was directed to report before the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF), Andhra Pradesh, Guntur for posting orders. By the same order, the petitioner herein was transferred and posted in the place of the 1st respondent at Penukonda.

(3.) Challenging G.O.Rt.No.130, dated 04.07.2017, the 1st respondent filed O.A.No.1803 of 2017 on the file of the A.P. Administrative Tribunal, contending inter alia that he was promoted as Forest Range Officer on 21.02.2014 and posted at Ananthapur Range of Ananthapur Division; that he made a request, on the basis of which G.O.Rt.No.309, dated 21.12.2016 was passed, posting him in Penukonda Range of the very same Ananthapur Division; that the said transfer order, passed on his own request, was not implemented in view of the Election Code; that subsequently he joined at Penukonda on 24.03.2017; that while so, the impugned order G.O.Rt.No.130, dated 04.07.2017 was passed, posting the writ petitioner herein to the place of the 1st respondent and directing the 1st respondent to report to the Principal Chief Conservator for fresh posting; that there was originally a ban on transfers, which was lifted on 21.04.2017, permitting the transfer of employees up to 24.05.2017; that pursuant to the lifting of the ban order, the department conducted a transfer counselling in which the writ petitioner herein (5th respondent in the O.A) participated and was posted to the Social Forestry, Banaganapalli; and that while things have so settled, the impugned G.O.Rt.No.130, dated 04.07.2017 came as a bolt out of the blue.