JANDENO N. PATTON Vs. STATE OF NAGALAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) 72 (Seventy Two) petitioners have filed this petition as they are aggrieved by the impugned orders dt. 23/2/2024 and 20/4/2024, whereby their services have been terminated on the ground of excess appointment of employees by the respondent authorities.

(2.) The respondents in this case are the State of Nagaland through the Chief Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Kohima; the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, PHED, Kohima; the Chief Engineer, PHED, Kohima and the Additional Chief Engineer, Sanitation and WSSO, PHED, Kohima who are arrayed as respondent Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

(3.) The petitioner's case in brief is that, consequent upon the approval of the Government letter dtd. 9/10/2022 and the P&AR Department, O.M. dtd. 3/10/2022, the 72 petitioners were appointed as Operation and Maintenance staff (O and M staff) in the scale of Rs.3,000.0015,200/- per month under the PHE Department on various dates during the month of September, 2023. One of the service conditions of the appointment was that they will serve for 2 years on probation after which they would sit for suitability test for regularization. However, even before completion of two (2) years of probation period, the respondent authorities passed the impugned orders dtd. 23/2/2024 and 20/4/2024 terminating the services of the petitioners on the ground that there was excess appointment although, according to the petitioners, this is not so. The petitioners have assailed the termination order and have prayed for their reinstatement.