BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD. Vs. BIDYADHAR TANTI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. A.K. Bhattacharyya, learned senior counsel assisted by Mr. R.De, learned counsel for the writ petitioners. We have also heard Mr. M. Nath, learned senior counsel assisted by Mr. A. Bhattacharjee, learned counsel for the respondents.

(2.) The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the General manager, Arunachal Pradesh Business Area of BSNL have jointly approached this Court assailing the judgement and order dtd. 4/8/2023 passed by the learned Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Gauhati Bench, in Original Application (OA) No. 040/00205/2009 inter-alia contending that the impugned judgement and order is unsustainable in law. It appears that this is the third round of litigation involving the same controversy. The facts and circumstances leading to the filing of this writ petition, shorn of unnecessary details, are narrated herein below.

(3.) As many as 52 applicants including some of the private respondents, who were earlier engaged as casual labourers under the BSNL authorities, primarily being aggrieved due to non-consideration of the cases for grant of Temporary Mazdoor status and/or regularization of their services, had approached the learned CAT by filing an application which was registered as OA No. 205/2009, inter-alia, praying for the following reliefs :