NARDEEP SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Primarily, the petitioner prays for the issuance of a writ in the nature of certiorari to quash the final seniority list of the Audit Officers issued on 14/11/2022. The petitioner and the private respondents are working in the Department of Cooperation, Punjab. The petitioner, being physically handicapped, got accelerated promotion on 1/9/2016 as Audit Officer, whereas, the private respondents were directly recruited on 28/2/2017 & 4/12/2017 as Audit Officers. In my opinion, the following issue requires adjudication:-

(2.) The petitioner was appointed under the physically handicapped quota as Audit Inspector on 3/10/2001. He was promoted as Senior Auditor vide order dtd. 21/12/2011. Thereafter, he was promoted as Audit Officer vide order dtd. 17/8/2016 and he joined as such on 1/9/2016. The private respondents came to be directly recruited as Audit Officers in the years 2017-18. For convenience, it is considered appropriate to extract the relevant information of the various Officers, from the seniority list issued by the employer, in a tabulated manner, which is as under:-

(3.) The service of employees of the Audit Department is governed by the Punjab Cooperative Audit (Group B) Service Rules, 2007. Rule 9 whereof provides that if the rules are silent in respect of any matter, then the members of the service shall be governed by the Punjab Civil Services (General and Common Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994 in that matter.