CAT quashes BSNL’s provisional seniority list of accounts officers

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Chandigarh, February 28

In a significant judgment, the Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has quashed the provisional seniority list of the cadre of accounts officer (AO) of the BSNL. The Bench also quashed the promotions qua SC/ST candidates in pursuant to this provisional seniority list.

The Bench has directed the BSNL to finalise the seniority list of the cadre of AO based on catch-up rule and thereafter, may make promotion to the cadre of chief accounts officer (CAO). The Bench has further directed that the exercise be carried out within six months of the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order.

The Bench comprising Ramesh Singh Thakur, Member (J), and Rashmi Saxena Sahni, Member (A), passed the judgment on the applications filed by account officers belonging to general category.

In the application, Anupam Yadav and others prayed for quashing of an order dated November 20, 2018, to the extent whereby the respondent No. 3 to 7 (Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Secretary, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, and Chairman-cum-MD, BSNL) promoted the candidates, who were juniors to them in the cadre of AO, as CAO on regular and ad-hoc basis by providing reservation in matter of promotion, which was in violation of the law laid down by the apex court in M Nagaraj case.

They also prayed for issuing directions to the respondents to finalise the tentative seniority list and make promotions in the cadre of AO by applying catch-up rule in terms of the apex court orders.