Full Judgment Text
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PETITIONER:
BHAGWATI PRASAD AND ORS.
Vs.
RESPONDENT:
DELHI STATE MINERAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
DATE OF JUDGMENT15/12/1989
BENCH:
RAMASWAMY, K.
BENCH:
RAMASWAMY, K.
MISRA RANGNATH
SAWANT, P.B.
CITATION:
1990 AIR 371 1989 SCR Supl. (2) 513
1990 SCC (1) 361 JT 1989 (4) 541
1989 SCALE (2)1337
ACT:
Constitution of India, 1950: Articles 39(d), 14 & 16:
Daily rated workers of Delhi Mineral Development Corporation
performing duties of Group ’D’ posts--Whether entitled to
equal pay for equal work--Whether entitled to regularisation
and promotion.
Civil Services: Daily rated workers discharging duties
effectively over a long period--Suitability of for regulari-
sation and confirmation-Requirement of initial minimum
qualifications--Whether could be insisted upon.
HEADNOTE:
The petitioners, daily-rated workers of the respondent-
Corporation appointed between 1983 and 1986, sought a writ
of mandamus to regularise their services in the respective
units and payment of wages at par with regularly appointed
employees of the respondent performing the same or similar
duties.
The Industrial Tribunal, which was directed by the Court
to examine the matter, found that all the petitioners/work-
men were performing same or similar duties as were performed
by the incumbents of Group ’D’ posts of the respondent-
Corporation and concluded that on the principle of ’equal
pay for equal work’ enshrined in Article 39(d) read with
Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution they were entitled to
equal pay for equal work in relation to the regular employ-
ees. It further held that non-regularisation due to uncer-
tainty of the contract was only a pretence which was not
valid in law, and that reversion of some of the petitioners
for lack of requisite educational qualification was discrim-
inatory, arbitrary and an abuse of power by the management.
The respondent assailed the findings on merits pointing
out various contentions raised in its pleading, objections
and the documents filed before the Tribunal. It also con-
tended that it had not consented to dispense with adducing
oral evidence, and that despite the direction of the Court
to submit a preliminary report the Tribunal was wrong in
514
stating that the respondent had agreed that the Tribunal
would send the final report.
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Allowing the writ petitions, the Court,
Head l. The petitioners are entitled to equal pay at par
with the persons appointed on regular basis to the similar
post or discharge similar duties in the respondent-Corpora-
tion, and are entitled to the scale of pay and allowances
revised from time to time for the said posts. [518D]
2. The statement of facts recorded by a Court or Quasi-
judicial Tribunal in its proceedings as regards the matters
which transpired during the hearing before it would not be
permitted to be assailed as incorrect unless steps are taken
before the same forum. It may be open to a party to bring
such statement to the notice of the Court/Tribunal and to
have it deleted or amended, It was not, therefore, open to
the respondent in the instant case to say that the proceed-
ings recorded by the Tribunal were incorrect. [517C-D]
3. Practical experience would always aid a person to
effectively discharge the duties and is a sure guide to
assess his suitability. The initial minimum educational
qualification prescribed for the different posts is undoubt-
edly a factor to be reckoned with, but it is so at the time
of the initial entry into service. [517H;518A]
In the instant case, the petitioners were appointed
between the period 1983 and 1986 and eversince, they have
been working and had gained sufficient experience in the
actual discharge of duties attached to the posts held by
them. Once the appointments were made and they were allowed
to work for a considerable length of time as such, it would
be hard and harsh to deny them confirmation in the respec-
tive posts on the ground that they lack the prescribed
educational qualifications. Three years’ experience ignoring
artificial break in service for short period/periods created
by the respondent in the circumstances, would be sufficient
for confirmation. Since the petitioners satisfy the require-
ment of three years’ service so calculated, 40 of the sen-
ior-most of them should be regularised with immediate effect
and the remaining 118 should be regularised in a phased
manner before April 1, 1991 and promoted to the next higher
post according to the standing orders, [517G:518B-D]
4. Those of the petitioners who were ousted from service
pending
515
the writ petitions to be reinstated immediately. [518D-E]
JUDGMENT:
CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition Nos. 100 and
1078 of 1988.
(Under Article 32 of Constitution of India).
R.D. Upadhyaya, H.N. Salve and Rajiv K. Garg for the
petitioners.
R.K. Jain, Ashok Grover and S.C. Paul for the Respondent.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
K. RAMASWAMY, J. 1. The two writ petitions raise common
questions of fact and law and accordingly they are disposed
of by a common judgement.
2. The petitioners in both the writ petitions are daily
rated workers working in the respondent-Corporation and they
are seeking relief under Art. 32 of the Constitution for a
Writ of Mandamus or other directions to regularise their
services in the respective units and to pay them equal wages
with initial basic pay, D.A. and other admissible allowances
at par with regularly appointed employees of the respondent
performing the same or similar duties. Admittedly, they have
been appointed on daily wages between 1983 and 1986 and they
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have been working eversince. It is contended by them that
despite their continuous service respondent has resorted to
unfair labour practice in creating artificial break in
service to deprive them of the benefit of continuous serv-
ice. As they are not being paid equal wages at par with
regular employees, this offends their right to equality of
pay under Art. 14 and such action is contrary to the provi-
sions of Art. 39.
3. The respondent had raised several disputed questions
of fact which needed elaborate investigation. This Court by
its order dated January 27, 1989, after heating the counsel
on either side, directed the Industrial Tribunal at Delhi to
examine the contentions of the petitioners and the stand
taken by the respondent, on all issues after providing full
opportunity to the parties of hearing including leading of
evidence, oral and documentary, and to make a report to the
Registry of this Court within six months. Pursuant to the
above direction, the Industrial Tribunal afforded reasonable
opportunity to both parties. It would appear that both
parties agreed that oral evidence need not be
516
adduced (though respondent is now disputing that fact), and
both the parties filed documentary evidence. The Tribunal
held 12 sittings, heard the counsel, considered the record
and submitted its report dated September 15, 1989. The
respondent has filed its objections to the report.
4. We have heard learned counsel for the petitioners and
Shri R.K. Jain, learned counsel for the respondent. The
Tribunal found thus: "After taking into consideration all
the facts and circumstances I come to the conclusion that
all the petitioners/workmen are performing same or similar
duties as are performed by the incumbents of group ’D’ posts
of the DSMDC and consequently on the principle of ’equal pay
for equal work’ enshrined in Art. 39(d) read with Arts. 14
and 16 of the Constitution, all these workmen-petitioners
are entitled to equal pay for equal work in relation to the
regular employees." On the question of the nature of the
work being discharged by the petitioners, it found that some
of the workmen are shown to have been working with designa-
tions such as Wages Slip, Truck Loading Clerk, Attendance
Keeper Clerk, Drill Man, Office Work, Stone Bricks Clerk
Fitter Survey Section, Pipe Fitter, Operator, Pump Operator,
Creched Check Post Clerk, Permit Clerk etc., which go to
suggest that those workmen were performing skilled or semi-
skilled jobs or work of clerical nature. 1t, therefore,
suggested that the workmen with these designations may also
be equated with incumbents of group ’D’ posts However, it
held that their scale of pay and the entitlement to the
wages should be worked out in an inquiry under section 33-
C(2) of the Industrial Disputes Act. It also further found
that since the petitioners have been appointed way back
between 1983 and 1986, they are to be regularised; first
1/3rd of them immediately in the pay scale of Rs. 196232 or
the corresponding revised scale with allowances; another
onethird of the petitioners-workmen to be regularised by
April 1, 1990 and the remaining one-third to be regularised
by April 1, 1991. The workmen are entitled to one increment
for every two completed years of their service counted from
the date of commencement of service under the Management and
by ignoring the artificial breaks created by the respondent.
It also held that the dismissal of the workmen without
following the rule of last come first go is an unfair labour
practice, arbitrary and discriminatory. It also held that
the justification for not regularising the service of the
petitioners, namely, unlikelihood of the extension of the
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mining lease after its expiry was believed by the subsequent
advertisement calling applications for filling up the vacan-
cies. Accordingly, it held that non-regularisation due to
uncertainly of the contract is only a pretence and is not
valid in law. It also held that
517
though some of the persons like S/Shri Chander Pal Pawar,
Lok Nath Rai and Dinesh Kumar are eligible to hold the post
of Assistant Gr. III and their reversion for lack of requi-
site educational qualification is discriminatory, arbitrary
and is an abuse of power by the Management. Accordingly, it
suggested the framing of a scheme for regularising the
services of all the petitioners.
5. Shri R.K. Jain, learned counsel for the respondent,
has vehemently assailed the tenability of all the recommen-
dations. It is his further contention that the respondent
did not agree to dispense with adducing oral evidence and
despite the direction of this Court to submit a preliminary
report the Tribunal is wrong in stating that the respondent
agreed that the Tribunal would send the final report. He
disputed the findings on merits pointing out various conten-
tions raised by the respondent in its pleading, objections
and the documents filed before the Tribunal. It is now
settled law that the statement of facts recorded by a Court
or Quasi-Judicial Tribunal in its proceedings as ’regards
the matters which transpired during the hearing before it
would not be permitted to be assailed as incorrect unless
steps are taken before the same forum. It may be open to a
party to bring such statement to the notice of the
Court/Tribunal and to have it deleted or amended. It is not,
therefore, open to the parties or the counsel to say that
the proceedings recorded by the Tribunal are incorrect. The
further contention that the respondent did not agree to
dispense with the adduction of oral evidence and that the
report should be the preliminary report cannot be counte-
nanced. Accordingly, we hold that it is no longer open to
the respondent to say that it has not consented to dispense
with adducing oral evidence and to the Tribunal submitting
its final report instead of a preliminary one as directed by
this Court. During the pendency of these writ petitions, 16
workmen were retrenched. Shri R.K. Jain, learned counsel
appearing for the respondent, has agreed that if there.is
work and any of these sixteen persons reports for duty, work
shall be provided. This Court further directed to pay the
petitioners at the rate of Rs.25 per day.
6. The main controversy centres round the question
whether some petitioners are possessed of the requisite
qualifications to hold the posts so as to entitle them to be
confirmed in the respective posts held by them. The indis-
putable facts are that the petitioners were appointed be-
tween the period 1983 and 1986 and eversince, they have been
working and have gained sufficient experience in the actual
discharge of duties attached to the posts held by them.
Practical experience would always aid the person to effec-
tively discharge the
518
duties and is a sure guide to assess the suitability. The
initial minimum educational qualification prescribed for the
different posts is undoubtedly a factor to be reckoned with,
but it is so at the time of the initial entry into the
service. Once the appointments were made as daily rated
workers and they were allowed to work for a considerable
length of time, it would be hard and harsh to deny them the
confirmation in the respective posts on the ground that they
lack the prescribed educational qualifications. In our view,
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three years’ experience, ignoring artificial break in serv-
ice for short period/periods created by the respondent, in
the circumstances, would be sufficient for confirmation. If
there is a gap of more than three months between the period
of termination and re-appointment that period may be exclud-
ed in the computation of the three years period. Since the
petitioners before us satisfy the requirement of three
years’ service as calculated above, we direct that 40 of the
senior-most workmen should be regularised with immediate
effect and the remaining 118 petitioners should be regula-
rised in a phased manner, before April 1, 1991 and promoted
to the next higher post according to the standing orders.
All the petitioners are entitled to equal pay at par with
the persons appointed on regular basis to the similar post
or discharge similar duties, and are entitled to the scale
of pay and all allowances revised from time to time for the
said posts. We further direct that 16 of the petitioners who
are ousted from the service pending the writ petition should
be reinstated immediately. Suitable promotional avenues
should be created and the respondent should consider the
eligible candidates for being promoted to such posts. The
respondent is directed to deposit a sum of Rs. 10,000 in the
Registry of this Court within four weeks to meet the remu-
neration of the Industrial Tribunal. The writ petitions are
accordingly allowed, but without costs.
P.S.S. Petitions
allowed.
519