Petition dismissed due to applicant's non-prosecution and adverse precedent.

The present matter, Original Application (O.A.) No.2717/2018, along with M.A. No.1002/2020, was heard by the Central Administrative Tribunal, Principal Bench: New Delhi, on March 2nd, 2026

The applicants, a group of fifty individuals, primarily comprising candidates for the post of Teacher (Primary) in MCD, sought relief

The proxy counsel for the applicants sought discharge from the case, stating an inability to establish contact with the applicants despite efforts

The respondents' counsel submitted that the controversy in this O.A. was covered by a previous judgment of a Coordinate Bench of the Tribunal in O.A. No. 300/2018 & batch, decided on March 14, 2019, which had dismissed identical issues

1. Whether the applicants were interested in pursuing the matter given their counsel's inability to establish contact

2. Whether the issues raised in the present O.A. were already covered by a previous judgment of a Coordinate Bench of the Tribunal concerning identical issues

The Tribunal implicitly applied the principle of judicial precedent (stare decisis) by considering whether the issues in the present O.A. were "squarely covered" by a prior judgment of a Coordinate Bench

Additionally, the Tribunal considered the procedural aspect of case management, where a lack of interest from the applicants in pursuing the matter, indicated by their counsel's inability to establish contact, can lead to dismissal

The Tribunal considered two main factors in its decision.

Firstly, the learned proxy counsel for the applicants requested discharge from the matter, stating that she had been unable to contact the applicants despite efforts, which suggested that the applicants were no longer interested in pursuing their case

Secondly, the learned counsel for the respondents argued that the core issues in the present O.A. were identical to those already decided by a Coordinate Bench of the Tribunal in O.A. No. 300/2018 & batch on March 14, 2019, where the O.A.s were dismissed

The Tribunal found that both grounds independently supported the dismissal of the current application

Moreover, on merits, the issue stood covered against the applicants based on the earlier decision of a Coordinate Bench

Accordingly, the O.A. was dismissed, and all pending M.A.s were also disposed of.

No order was made as to costs