Competent authority must decide pending service representations within a fixed timeline through a reasoned order.

The applicants, numbering 68 individuals, are employed as Casual Labourers with "1/30th status" (Group D posts) across various locations in Madhya Pradesh under the Archaeological Survey of India

Seeking regularisation or redressal of service grievances, the applicants submitted formal representations to the respondent department dated 02.05.2026 and 04.05.2026 [Annexure A/5].

Claiming that these representations remained pending without consideration, the applicants approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jabalpur Bench, seeking a direction for a time-bound disposal of their claims

1. Whether the Tribunal should exercise its jurisdiction to direct the respondent authority to decide the pending representations of the applicants within a specific timeframe

The Tribunal applied the principles of administrative justice and the exhaustion of alternative remedies. Under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, and established service law jurisprudence, the competent authority is duty-bound to consider and decide the representations of employees in accordance with law

The court relied on the procedural consensus between parties to resolve the matter through a "direction to consider," rather than adjudicating on the merits of the case at this preliminary stage

The Tribunal did not delve into the merits of the applicants' claims regarding their status as casual laborers. Instead, it focused on the procedural delay.

Counsel for the applicants limited the prayer to a direction for the respondents to decide the pending representations. The respondents, through their counsel, expressed no objection to deciding the matter in a time-bound manner.

Consequently, the Tribunal found it appropriate to dispose of the Original Application (OA) at the admission stage itself, bridging the gap between the applicants' grievances and the administrative decision-making process by imposing a 60-day deadline on the respondents

The applicants were further directed to provide a copy of the O.A. and the certified order to the department within 15 days