NON-REPORTABLE        

 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) Nos. 6614-6615 of 2011

State of Jammu and Kashmir               .... Petitioner (s)

Versus

Vinod Kumar Verma and Another                   .... Respondent(s)

J U D G M E N T  

P. Sathasivam, J.

1) These  SLPs  are  directed  against  the  common  final  

judgment and order dated 08.12.2010 passed by the Division  

Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir at Jammu in  

LPAC No. 23 of 2010 whereby the Division Bench dismissed  

the same as not maintainable.   

2)    Brief Facts:

a) Vinod  Kumar  Verma-Respondent  No.  1  herein  was  

appointed  as  Sectional  Officer  (Civil)  in  the  Public  Works  

Department (PWD) of the State of Jammu and Kashmir on ad  

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hoc basis  on  10.08.1981  and  he  joined  the  said  post  on  

11.08.1981.   On 17.08.1981,  Respondent  No.  1  herein  was  

further adjusted as Sectional Officer (Civil) on ad hoc basis in  

the Power Development Department (PDD), Civil Construction  

Circle,  Jammu  and  subsequently  he  was  adjusted  in  Seva  

Hydel Project,  an establishment of PDD.  The service of the  

Respondent  No.  1  herein  was  regularized  by  the  State  

Government  vide  Government  Order  No.  PW-670  of  1981  

dated  31.10.1981  and  he  was  adjusted  in  the  Power  

Development Department (PDD) figuring at Serial No. 92 of the  

said Order.     In the similar manner, Shiv Dev Singh Jasrotia-

Respondent  No.  2  herein  was  also  appointed  as  Sectional  

Officer (Civil) in the Power Development Department (PDD) on  

02.12.1982 and he was also adjusted in Seva Hydel Project.   

b) In the year 1985, the Respondent No. 1 was transferred  

from Power Development Department (PDD) to Public Health  

Engineering  (PHE)  as  both  these  Departments  were  falling  

under the Hydraulic Wing and constitute the same cadre and  

service as the persons from one service could be transferred to  

the  other.   Similarly,  the  persons  working  in  PDD  and  

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Hydraulic  Wing  constitute  one  service  under  the  PWD and  

were  having  the  same  seniority  and  the  posts  were  

interchangeable from one service to the other which continued  

till the year 1992.  In the same manner, the Respondent No. 2  

was  posted  as  Junior  Engineer  from  PDD  to  Irrigation  

Department, R&B Circle, Leh as a part of his frontier service  

which is compulsory for every employee in his service career.

c) On  10.03.1989,  a  combined  tentative  Seniority  List  of  

Sectional Officers of PDD and Hydraulic Wing was issued by  

the PDD in which all the SOs/JEs were included and most of  

the  similarly  situated  Junior  Engineers  have  been  shown  

senior to Respondent Nos. 1 and 2.  On 16.07.1992, sanction  

was accorded by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for  

setting  up of  a  separate  Civil  and Mechanical  Cadre  of  the  

PDD.  Vide Government Order dated 09.12.1992, a separate  

seniority list of Junior Engineers of PDD was issued ignoring  

the fact that the Respondents herein were still holding their  

lien on the post in their parental department i.e. PDD.   

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d) Being aggrieved of the same, the respondents herein filed  

Writ Petition being SWP No. 1528 of 2001 for inclusion of their  

names in the final seniority list of SOs/JEs (Civil) in the Power  

Development Department which was issued in the year 1992.  

During  the  pendency  of  the  said  writ  petition,  the  Division  

Bench of the same High Court had passed final order dated  

14.10.2004  in  SWP  No.  2191/2002  titled  Ashok  Kumar  

Raina vs.  State through PDD & Ors and in LPA (SW) 73 of  

2003 and LPA (SW) 210 of 2003 filed by the already promoted  

Junior  Engineers  wherein  it  was  directed  to  include  the  

petitioner  therein  in  the  Seniority  List  of  Junior  Engineers  

(Civil) PDD issued on 09.12.1992 and in all subsequent lists  

with all consequential relief of promotions etc.   

e) On 14.11.2007, the High Court passed an order in SWP  

1528  of  2001  directing  the  respondents  therein  to  accord  

consideration to the cases of  the respondents herein in the  

light  of  the  judgment  dated  14.10.2004,  namely,  Ashok  

Kumar  Raina (supra).   The  respondents  herein  made  

representation but despite the same the respondents therein  

failed  to  implement  the  said  judgment  and their  claim has  

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been rejected on the ground that the cadre of JEs (Civil)  in  

PDD has been closed since 24.09.2007.

f) Being  aggrieved,  respondents  herein  filed  Contempt  

Petition bearing No. 112 of 2009 in SWP No. 1528 of 2001 for  

non-compliance of order dated 14.11.2007.  By order dated  

05.02.2010, the High Court granted last and final opportunity  

to the State to reply compliance of the order dated 14.11.2007.  

On 29.04.2010, the State filed a Compliance Report rejecting  

the consideration of the respondents herein.  By order dated  

20.05.2010,  the  High  Court,  after  observing  that  the  

Compliance Report filed by the State is not in consonance with  

the  directions  issued  earlier,  directed  to  file  a  better  

affidavit/Compliance  Report  by  showing  the  names  of  the  

respondents herein in the Seniority List.

g) Against  the  order  dated  20.05.2010,  the  State  filed  

APLPA No. 22 of 2010 before the High Court.  Vide order dated  

18.10.2010, the High Court dismissed the said appeal.  The  

State  again  filed  an  appeal  being  APLPA  No.  23  of  2010  

challenging the said order.  The Division Bench of the High  

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Court, by order dated 08.12.2010, dismissed the appeal as not  

maintainable.

h) Aggrieved by the said decision, the State has filed these  

SLPs.

3) Heard  Mr.  Gaurav  Pachnanda,  learned  Senior  Addl.  

Advocate  General  and  Ms.  Indu  Malhotra,  learned  senior  

counsel for the respondents.

4) Though learned Senior Addl. Advocate General appearing  

for the State as well as the contesting respondents advanced  

arguments about the maintainability of the appeal against the  

order passed under Section 19(1) of the Contempt of Courts  

Act, 1971 in view of the fact that the main contempt petition  

itself is pending on the file of the learned single Judge of the  

High  Court,  reserving  the  legal  question  about  the  

maintainability of appeal to be considered in an appropriate  

case, we feel that the ends of justice would be met by asking  

the  High  Court  to  dispose  of  the  main  contempt  petition.  

Hence, we request the learned single Judge to dispose of the  

main contempt  petition  being  Contempt  Petition No.  112 of  

2009 in SWP No. 1528 of 2001 one way or the other on merits,  

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after  affording  opportunity  to  all  the  parties  concerned  

preferably before 30.04.2012.

5) It is made clear that we have not expressed anything on  

the merits of the claim of both the parties.  

6) With the above direction, the SLPs are disposed of.  

 ..…………….…………………………J.            (P. SATHASIVAM)                                  

...…....…………………………………J.    (J. CHELAMESWAR)  

NEW DELHI; JANUARY 16, 2012.             

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