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NON-REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL  NO.  4611 OF 2013

THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EMPLOYEES STATE  INSURANCE CORPORATION & ANR.  Appellant(s)                                 VERSUS SOUMITRA SENGUPTA & ORS.                    Respondent(s)

J U D G M E N T KURIAN, J.

1. The appellants are aggrieved by the Judgment and order dated 25.01.2010 passed by the High Court of Orissa in W.P. (C) No. 17192 of 2009.  The issue pertains to the inter-regional transfer of the first respondent from Maharashtra to Orissa.

2. It  is  not  in  dispute  that  at  the  time  of transfer,  the  first  respondent  was  working  as  an Upper  Division  Clerk  (in  short,  “UDC”)  in  the Maharashtra region.  No doubt, the first respondent had applied for a transfer to Orissa region while he was  working  as  Lower  Division  Clerk  (in  short, “LDC”).  However, at the time when the inter-regional transfer  to  Orissa  was  to  be  effected,  the  first respondent had already become UDC and he was working as such in the Maharashtra region.  But it is seen from the proceedings that the transfer of the first

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respondent to Orissa was made as an LDC.

3. Though the learned counsel for the appellants has strenuously  argued  that  the  transfer  was  at  the option  of the  first respondent  and that  the first respondent  had  subsequently  appeared  in  the  LDC examination in Orissa region and got promoted in the year 2011 in Orissa as a UDC, we find it difficult to appreciate the situation of a UDC being transferred as an LDC.  Therefore, the High Court was right in its observation that as on the date of transfer of the  first  respondent  as  a  UDC  to  Orissa,  in  case there  was  a  vacancy  of  UDC  in  Orissa  region,  the first  respondent  should  be  considered  against  that vacancy.

4. Be that as it may, as rightly pointed out by the learned  counsel  for  the  appellants,  against  the vacancy  available  in  2006  in  the  post  of  UDC  in Orissa, another incumbent had already been promoted and that person is not on the party array.  There was only one vacancy of UDC.  The first respondent, in any case, had become UDC in the year 2011 in Orissa region.  We also find force in the submission of the learned  counsel  for  the  appellants  that  had  there been  a  transfer  as  UDC,  it  would  have  otherwise blocked  the  chance  of  an  incumbent  in  the  Orissa region aspiring for promotion as a UDC.

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5. Be  that  as  it  may,  as  for  the  appellants,  a legally impermissible transfer as LDC has been made. The transfer has to be treated as only a transfer from  Maharashtra to  Orissa as  UDC.  Since another incumbent had occupied the vacant position, we make it  clear  that  the  first  respondent  will  only  be entitled to notional benefits in the post of UDC with effect  from  the  date  of  his  original  transfer  to Orissa till he got actual promotion through LDC route in Orissa.

6. Subject to the above modification, the appeal is dismissed.  The consequential orders shall be passed within a period of three months from today.  For the purpose  of  passing  the  order,  if  required,  a supernumerary  post  in  the  cadre  of  UDC  will  be treated as created from the date of transfer of the first respondent to Orissa till he actually became UDC  through  LDC  route.   For  removal  of  any  other difficulty, it is made clear that the actual monetary benefits will be accrued to the first respondent only from the date of his actual promotion to the UDC in the year 2011.  Till such time, the benefit will only be notional in the sense that the first respondent will get restoration of seniority and refixation of pay  and  such  other  benefits  except  the  monetary benefits.

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Pending Interlocutory Applications, if any, stand disposed of.   

.......................J.               [ KURIAN JOSEPH ]  

.......................J.               [ AMITAVA ROY ]  

New Delhi; November 23, 2017.

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ITEM NO.1               COURT NO.5               SECTION XI -A                S U P R E M E  C O U R T  O F  I N D I A                        RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

Civil Appeal  No(s).  4611/2013 REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EMPLOYEES STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION & ANR.                   Appellant(s)                                 VERSUS SOUMITRA SENGUPTA  & ORS.                         Respondent(s) Date : 23-11-2017 This matter was called on for hearing today. CORAM :  HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE KURIAN JOSEPH          HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AMITAVA ROY For Appellant(s) Mr. Santhosh Krishnan, Adv.  

Ms. Sonam Anand, Adv.  Mr Yakesh Anand, Adv.  

                   Mr. Sanjeev Anand, AOR                     For Respondent(s) Mr. Sanjay K. Das, Adv.  

Mr. Swetaketu Mishra, Adv.                      Mr. V. K. Monga, AOR     UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following                              O R D E R

The  civil  appeal  is  dismissed  in  terms  of  the  signed non-reportable Judgment.   

Pending Interlocutory Applications, if any, stand disposed of.

(JAYANT KUMAR ARORA)                              (RENU DIWAN)    COURT MASTER                                ASSISTANT REGISTRAR

(Signed non-reportable Judgment is placed on the file)