NAVJEET KAUR Vs. NAVNEET WALIA & ORS.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This Letters Patent Appeal assails the order dated 03.04.2013 whereby learned Single Judge allowed the writ petition filed by the first respondent and had quashed the orders dated 11.11.2010, 16.11.2010 (P18 to P20) vide which, the State Government resolved the seniority dispute and declared the appellant senior to respondent No.1 in the cadre of Lecturers and issued the final seniority list dated 16.11.2010 (P20) of Lecturers in Stenography, Commercial and Secretarial Practise/Commerce. The show cause notice of the even date issued to first respondent as to why his antedated promotion to the post of Head of the Department w.e.f. 21.06.2000 be not reviewed - has also been annulled. Consequently, first respondent has become senior to the appellant. Facts:

(2.) The Punjab Public Service Commission (in short, 'the Commission') on 19.11.1994 (P1) invited applications for various posts of Lecturers including four posts of Lecturers-in-Commerce for appointment in the Government Polytechnics under the Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab. The appellant was also a candidate for the post of Lecturer-in-Commerce for which interviews were held in August, 1995. The Commission vide memo dated 05.12.1995 recommended names of the following candidates in order of merit for appointment:-

(3.) The Department processed the recommendations and offered appointment to the first candidate in order of merit (Rajiv Puri) on 13.02.1996. The appointment letters of the rest of the selected candidates were, however, issued for the reasons best known to the Department. While candidates placed at No.3&4 in the merit list were appointed on 02.04.1996, the appellant was offered appointment only on 11.07.1996 pursuant to which she joined on 16.07.1996. It is, however, an admitted fact that the reason for the delay in issuance of appointment letter was attributable to the appellant.