Redressal of Applicant’s Grievance by Administrative Communication Renders Impugned Rejection Order Deemed Withdrawn or Cancelled

The eleven applicants, Group-C employees working as Goods Train Managers in the Howrah Division of Eastern Railway, challenged a communication dated 02.03.2026 (Annexure A/17) issued by the Assistant Personnel Officer.

This impugned order had initially rejected their claims regarding selection for the post of Goods Train Manager (15% Limited Departmental Competitive Examination - LDCE) against a notification dated 30.10.2024.

During the pendency of the original application, the respondent authorities issued a fresh communication dated 30.03.2026, stating that upon re-examination, the applicants were found "independently eligible" based on their seniority positions assigned in 2023, confirming they had completed the three-year qualifying service requirement.

1. Whether the applicants met the eligibility criteria of three years of qualifying service in the T & C department for the post of Goods Train Manager under the 15% LDCE quota.

2. Whether the impugned order dated 02.03.2026 should be set aside following the respondents’ subsequent admission of the applicants' eligibility.

The court relied on the administrative eligibility criteria established in the Railway Notification dated 30.10.2024, which mandated three years of qualifying service for the 15% LDCE quota.

The court also applied the principle of administrative review/rectification, whereby an authority may supersede a previous erroneous order if a representation reveals an error in fact or law regarding seniority and service duration.

The Tribunal noted that the respondents, through their internal communication dated 30.03.2026, explicitly admitted that the applicants attained the requisite seniority effective from 16.08.2021.

By assigning this seniority date, the applicants satisfied the notification’s requirement for three years of qualifying service. Since the respondents redressed the grievance during the hearing, the Tribunal reasoned that the original impugned order dated 02.03.2026, which denied eligibility, was no longer sustainable and must be treated as withdrawn or cancelled to prevent any legal inconsistency.

The Tribunal further corrected a clerical error in its previous interim order to ensure the record accurately reflected the date of the relevant panel as 16.04.2025.

The O.A. was disposed of with a direction to the respondents to act in accordance with their own eligibility determination dated 30.03.2026. Additionally, the earlier order dated 12.03.2026 was corrected to reflect the panel date as '16.04.2025'.