P SELVAKUMAR vs DEFENCE

1 OA 310/01130/2026

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL
CHENNAI BENCH

OA 310/01130/2026
th

Dated Tuesday, the 29 day of September, Two Thousand and Twenty Six

CORAM :

HON'BLE MR. M. SWAMINATHAN, Member (J)
&
HON’BLE MR. M.L. SRIVASTAVA, Member (A)

P. Selvakumar
Per No. 881351
Junior Works Manager
[JWM(SG)/T (Mech)],
TPT (CENT) Section,
Heavy Vehicles Factory,
A Unit of Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL),
Avadi, Chennai - 600054. … Applicant

By Advocate M/s. R. Rajesh Kumar
Vs

1. Union of India,
Represented by the Secretary,
Ministry of Defence,
Department of Defence Production,
South Block, New Delhi - 110001.

2. The Director General Ordnance (C&S),
Directorate of Ordnance (C&S),
10-A, S.K. Bose Road,
Kolkata - 700001.

3. Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL),
Represented by the Chief General Manager,
Heavy Vehicles Factory,
A Unit of AVNL, Avadi,
Chennai - 600054.

4. Shri Kumarasamy S,
Per No. 884376,

2 OA 310/01130/2026
presently working as Assistant Works Manager/
Junior Time Scale (Group-A) [Mechanical],
Ordnance Factory ITARSI (OFI)
A unit of Munition India Limited (MIL),
Itarsi Road, Itarsi,
Narmadapuram (formerly Hoshangabad),
Madhya Pradesh, 461122. …Respondents

By Advocate Mr. K. Rajendran, SCGSC

3 OA 310/01130/2026


ORAL ORDER


(Pronounced by Hon'ble Mr. M. L. Srivastava, Member (A))


In the instant OA, the applicant seeks the following relief:
"to set aside/quash the impugned Order No. JTS/DPC/2024-
2025/GB dated 30.06.2025 issued by the Respondent No. 2,
to the extent it fails to grant promotion to the Applicant to
the grade of Assistant Works Manager/Junior Time Scale
(Group-A) and consequently direct the Respondents to grant
promotion to the Applicant promotion to the grade of
Assistant Works Manager/Junior Time Scale (Group-A),
th
Level 10 of the Pay Matrix of 7 CPC, on par with, or in
supersession of, his junior Respondent No. 4, with effect
from 30.06.2025 (the date on which his junior was so
promoted), or from such earlier date as this Tribunal may
deem fit, with all consequential and financial benefits
including notional fixation of pay, seniority, and arrears of
pay and allowances and thus render justice.”

2. Brief facts of the case as submitted by the applicant are as follows:
The Applicant is presently working as Junior Works Manager (Selection
Grade)/Technical (Mechanical) [JWM(SG)/T (Mech)] in the TPT(CENT)
Section, Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi, a Unit of Armoured Vehicles Nigam
Limited (AVNL), Chennai. He was promoted from Junior Works Manager
(Tech) to JWM(SG)/T(Mech) vide OFBHQ letter dated 13.09.2018,
implemented at the factory level vide Factory Order dated 14.09.2018
(Annexures A-1 and A-2). Pursuant to the decision of the Principal Bench of
this Tribunal, New Delhi, dated 04.04.2019, and the consequent modified
seniority list of Junior Works Manager (Tech & Non-Tech) as on 01.01.2016, a

4 OA 310/01130/2026
Review DPC was conducted vide Order dated 17.02.2020, whereby the
Applicant was granted notional promotion to JWM(SG) with effect from
13.09.2018/01.01.2016 (Annexure A-3). Respondent No.2 published the
combined and consolidated Seniority List of Junior Works Manager/SG (Tech &
Non-Tech) as on 01.01.2025 vide letter dated 04.02.2025, wherein the Applicant
is shown at Sl. No. 20 (SC category) with date of JWM(SG) promotion as
01.01.2016, while Respondent No.4, Shri Kumarasamy S, is shown at Sl. No.
442 of the very same list, with his date of JWM(SG) promotion recorded as
21.09.2022, i.e., more than six years after the Applicant and 422 positions junior
to him (Annexure A-5). Notwithstanding the above, Respondent No.2 issued the
impugned Order No. JTS/DPC/2024-2025/GB dated 30.06.2025, promoting 45
officers, including Respondent No.4, to the grade of Junior Time Scale
[Assistant Works Manager (AWM)], Group-A, Level 10 of the Pay Matrix of 7th
CPC, expressly stated to be "without effect on seniority". The Applicant, who is
far senior to Respondent No.4 in the very seniority list relied upon, does not
figure anywhere in the said order and has been arbitrarily and illegally bypassed
and superseded without any recorded reason (Annexure A-6), aggrieved by the
said supersession, the Applicant submitted a detailed representation dated
11.07.2025, followed by Reminder-I dated 27.03.2026 and Reminder-II dated
13.07.2026, through proper channel, calling upon the Respondents to rectify the
anomaly and grant him promotion (Annexures A-7, A-8 and A-9). No
reply/response has been received from the Respondents till date.

5 OA 310/01130/2026
The Applicant submits that the issue is squarely covered by the decision of the
Jabalpur Bench of this Tribunal, Jabalpur Bench, in Dr. Narmada Prasad
Dwivedi Vs. Department of Defence Production, O.A. No. 200/0680/2019,
decided on 17.12.2021 (Annexure A-4), and that the impugned order is contrary
to the statutory Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Group-A) Recruitment
Rules, 2002, which do not permit any discipline-wise or trade-wise sub-division
of the mono-cadre post of Assistant Works Manager (JTS), and offends Articles
14 and 16(1) of the Constitution of India. Hence the applicant has filed this OA
seeking the above relief.

3. Heard the learned counsel for the applicant and Mr. K. Rajendran,
SCGSC who takes notice on behalf of the respondents.

4. It is submitted that the applicant has made representation to the
respondents on 11.07.2025 (Annexure A-7) and till now the respondents have
not passed any order. Therefore, he pleaded that an appropriate direction to be
issued to the respondents to dispose of the representation within a time frame to
be fixed by this Tribunal, which will suffice at present.

5. In view of the limited relief sought and to meet the ends of justice, it is
appropriate to direct the competent authority among the respondents to consider
the representation of the applicant dated 11.07.2025 (Annexure A-7) and treat
this OA as a part of the said representation and pass an appropriate speaking and

6 OA 310/01130/2026

well-reasoned order within a period of one month from the date of receipt of
copy of this order. It is made clear that this Tribunal is not entering into the
merits of the case at this stage.

6. With the above direction the OA is disposed of, at the admission stage.

(M.L. Srivastava) (M. Swaminathan)
Member (A) Member (J)
29.09.2026

Digitally signed
by P ARUNA
SOWBHAGYA
Date: 2026.10.22
13:14:03 +05'30'
P ARUNA SOWBHAGYA
COURT MASTER
CAT,MADRAS BENCH