KHURAIJAM SURJIT SINGH; USHAKIRAN DEVI; SAPAM SANJOY SINGH; IBOCHA SINGH; ARIBAM RAKESH SHARMA; T RAJU SINGH; KIRANKUMAR MEETEI; PAONAM DINESH SINGH; PALUJAM LEMBA SINGH; A MOSES Vs. STATE OF MANIPUR; CHIEF ENGINEER, WING I; CHIEF ENGINEER, WING II

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Shri R.K. Nokulsana, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Shri Danny H., Advocate, the learned counsels appearing for the petitioners and Shri N. Ibotombi, learned Additional Advocate General, Manipur assisted by Shri A. Rommel, learned Junior Government Advocate for the respondents.

(2.) The instant writ petition has been filed by the petitioners who are nine in number praying for a writ of Mandamus directing the respondents to appoint them to the post of Surveyor in the Department of Works, Government of Manipur on the basis of the result of the DPC declared vide Notification dated 27-09-2001 issued by the Chief Engineer, respondent No. 2.

(3.) According to the petitioners, they are all unemployed citizens who have passed Matriculate/HSLC with certificate courses in the trade of Surveyor from the Industrial Training Institute, Imphal / Diploma in Civil Engineering from the Government Polytechnic, Imphal. They are eligible for appointment to the post of Surveyor, since they have fulfilled the essential qualifications prescribed for it in the Recruitment Rules, 1993. Pursuant to an advertisement issued by the Department of Works for appointment of nine posts of Surveyor, they duly applied for it. However, the date fixed for the interview was postponed vide a Notification dated 06-09-1999 for the reason best known to the respondents. Another Notification dated 24-09-1999 was issued by the Chief Engineer, respondent No. 2 herein informing the concerned candidates that the postponed DPC had been re-fixed on 21-10-1999 and many candidates including the petitioners appeared in the interview.