Full Judgment Text
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PETITIONER:
R. TAMILMANI
Vs.
RESPONDENT:
UNION OF INDIA AND ANR.
DATE OF JUDGMENT26/02/1992
BENCH:
KANIA, M.H. (CJ)
BENCH:
KANIA, M.H. (CJ)
SAHAI, R.M. (J)
RAY, G.N. (J)
CITATION:
1992 AIR 1120 1992 SCR (1)1072
1992 SCC (2) 410 JT 1992 (2) 425
1992 SCALE (1)570
ACT:
Indian Administrative Service (Appointment by
Selection) Regulations 1956.
Indian Administrative Service-Selection form amongst
Non-State Civil Service Officers-Selection Committee-
Assessment of merit and ability-Rating process-Three members
of Selection Committee rating a candidate ‘Outstanding’
while other two rating him as ‘very good’-Held there was
consensus regarding ability of candidate-Candidate held
eligible for consideration.
HEADNOTE:
The appellant was interviewed for selection to the
Indian Administrative Service for the year 1990 from amongst
the Non-State Civil Service Officers in the State of Tamil
Nadu. Three of the members of the Selection Committee rated
him as ‘outstanding’ whereas the other two members rated him
as ‘very good’. But his name was not recommended for
consideration by the Union Public Service Commission on the
ground that there was no ‘consensus’ regarding his ability.
The appellant filed an application before the Central
Administrative Tribunal, Madras for a direction that he
should be considered and appointed to the Indian
Administrative Service. His application was dismissed. He
filed an appeal in this Court.
Allowing the appeal, this Court,
HELD : The Central Administrative Tribunal was in error
in dismissing the application of the appellant. If out of
five committee members three ranked the appellant as
‘outstanding’ and two as ‘very good’, the result would be
that there was definitely consensus that he was at least
‘very good’ and in fact a little better. Therefore, there
was no reason why his case could not have been put up for
consideration by the Union Public Service Commission.
Accordingly, it is directed that his case be put up for
consideration by the Union Public Service Commission for
appointment in the vacancy of 1990. [1073 H, 1074A-B]
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JUDGMENT:
1073
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 3145 of
1991.
From the Judgement and order dated 8.4.1991 of the
Central Administrative Tribunal, Madras in Original
Application No. 810 of 1990.
T.S. Krishnamurthy Iyer, S. Sivasubramaniam, R.A
Perumal and R. Mohan for the Appellants.
V.C. Mahajan, S.N. Sikka and V.K. Verma for the
Respondents.
The Judgment of Court was delivered by
KANIA, CJ. This appeal arises out of an order of a Bench of
Centrol Administrative Tribunal, Madras, dismissing an
application filed by the appellant herein. The prayer in
the application was to consider and appoint the appellant to
the Indian Administrative Service (hereinafter referred to
as ‘IAS’) for the year 1990. It appears that for the year
1990 the appellant was one of the five candidates called for
interview for selection to the I.A.S. from among the Non-
State Civil Service Officers in the State of Tamil Nadu. It
seems to be common ground that under the Indian
Administrative Service (Appointment by Selection)
Regulations, 1956, read with similar Regulations, namely,
Indian Administrative Service (Appointment by Promotion),
Regulations, 1955 persons not belonging to the State Civil
Service, who are of outstanding merit and ability and who
have completed not less than eight years of services, can be
considered for appointment to the I.A.S. by selection. In
the case of the appellant the Selection Committee
interviewed the appellant along with four other candidates
recommending their names to the Union Public Service
Commission for approval. In this rating process three of
the members of the Select Committee rated the appellant as
"outstanding " whereas the other two members rated him as
"very good". By curious process of logic, which we find a
little difficult to understand, the Selection Committee
declined to recommend his name for consideration on the
ground that there was no ‘consensus’ regarding his ability.
In our view it is clear that if out of five committee
members three ranked the appellant as "outstanding" and two
as ‘very good’, the result would be that there was
definitely consensus that he was at least "very
1074
good" and in fact a little better. Therefore, in our
opinion, there was no reason why his case could not have
been put up for consideration by the Union Public service
Commission. The Central Administrative Tribunal, with
respect, was in error in dismissing the application of the
appellant as it did. We direct the case of the appellant to
be put up for consideration by the Union Public Service
Commission for appointment in the vacancy of 1990 on the
footing of the consensus as we have set out earlier.
The appeal is allowed as aforestated. There will,
however, be no order as to costs.
T.N.A. Appeal allowed.
1075