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2012 DIGILAW 760 (JK)

Prasar Bharti & Ors. v. Mohd. Tulha Rahmani

2012-12-12

HASNAIN MASSODI, M.M.KUMAR

body2012
Per M.M. Kumar, C.J.;— 1. The Prasar Bharti (Broadcasting Corporation of India) and its officers based at New Delhi and Srinagar have filed the instant petition under Article 226 of the Constitution with a prayer for setting aside order dated 7.5.2012 rendered by the Central Administrative Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench (for brevity 'the Tribunal'). The Respondent was appointed as Transmission Executive (Script). The Tribunal has set aside order dated 29.10.2010, transferring the respondent from All India Radio Srinagar to All India Radio Kargil. The Tribunal while disposing of T.A. no. 7/JK/2011 filed by respondent has opined that the averments made in para 7 (a) of the application were not controverted. According to the averment made in that para, the All India Radio Kashmir, Srinagar, is the only Station from where kashmiri programmes are being broadcast and kashmiri script is made use of. And that there was no post of Transmission Executive in kashmiri script available in All India Radio Kargil. The petitioners justified the order on the basis of administrative exigencies as conceived by the competent authority. They submitted that ordinarily the courts are not to interfere. The view of the Tribunal is discernable from paras 11 and 12 of the order which read thus:- "11. A conjunctive perusal of the aforementioned para 7(a) of the O.A. and the corresponding para of the written statement would indicate that the respondents, in their wisdom, refrained from controverting the plea raised in the former documentation. 12. In view of the factual scenario noticed in the preceding paras, it is apparent that the services of the applicant cannot be used by posting him at Kargil. The present is a case wherein though not being unmindful of the law relating to transfers, we are of the considered view that it is a fit case for interference by the Tribunal, particularly in view of the fact that the services of the applicant cannot be utilized at the proper place in view of his specialization and also because the only post at Kargil has been fill up. The O.A. deserves to be allowed by quashing the impugned order qua the applicant and we so order accordingly." 2. It is also appropriate to mention that the Tribunal felt persuaded by the order earlier rendered when the respondent was sought to be transferred from Srinagar to Hissar (Haryana). The O.A. deserves to be allowed by quashing the impugned order qua the applicant and we so order accordingly." 2. It is also appropriate to mention that the Tribunal felt persuaded by the order earlier rendered when the respondent was sought to be transferred from Srinagar to Hissar (Haryana). The transfer order was quashed on 11-7-2007 by the Tribunal when O.A. No. 872-JK of 2005 was allowed by the Tribunal. The petitioners filed review which was also rejected on 19.3.2009 and the Division Bench dismissed the writ petition vide order dated 21.7.2008. 3. Mr. S. A. Naik, learned counsel for appellants has vehemently argued that the respondent was appointed as Transmission Executive in All India Radio Srinagar on 05-1-1996 and there is no stipulation in the order of his appointment which may indicate that the post was not transferable. A copy of his appointment order dated 05-01-1996 has been placed on record (R4). 4. Our attention has been invited to clause 7 of the appointment order which stipulates that the respondent could be posted and transferred anywhere in India and if on account of family circumstances, he anticipated any difficulty in the matter of posting then he was not to accept the offer. Mr. Naik emphasized that in view of the aforesaid stipulation in the appointment order the respondent cannot object to his transfer anywhere in the Country on the ground that kashmiri script can be used only if he is posted at All India Radio Srinagar because his services could not be used anywhere else. 5. Another submission made by Mr. Naik is that the service condition of Transmission Executives (Script) are governed by the statutory rules framed under proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution which are known as All India Radio And Doordarshan (Transmission Executive) Recruitment Rules, 1992 (for brevity 'Recruitment Rules'). A copy of the 'Recruitment Rules' has been placed on record (Annexure E). The cadre of Transmission Executive includes the posts of Production Assistant (All India Radio), Assistant Editor (Scripts), Assistant Editor (Translation), Assistant Editor (Farm and Home) so on and so forth. According to the learned counsel there is no separate cadre which may be known as Transmission Executive, kashmiri script. He has maintained that the appointment letter also does not specify that there is a separate cadre, although Transmission Executive (Script/Kashmiri) has been mentioned. According to the learned counsel there is no separate cadre which may be known as Transmission Executive, kashmiri script. He has maintained that the appointment letter also does not specify that there is a separate cadre, although Transmission Executive (Script/Kashmiri) has been mentioned. Thus it is an All India cadre and Transmission Executive (Script) are transferable anywhere in the Country. 6. Mr. Naik has also made a reference to the Advertisement Notice No. 2/1992 dated 29-8-1992. It was in pursuance to the aforesaid Advertisement Notice that the respondent participated in the selection process and appointed. The aforesaid Advertisement Notice was followed by a corrigendum dated 12th September, 1992 which made it clear that initial appointment and posting of a Transmission Executive (Script) could be in the respective zones. However, that too cannot be claimed as a matter of right. Learned counsel has further argued that transfer order is purely an Administrative order which is made in the exigencies of service and the courts are reluctant to interfere unless it has emerged from malafide intention. According to the learned counsel it is against the elementary principles of service jurisprudence as laid down in various judgments including State of U.P. & Ors. v. Siya Ram & Another AIR 2004 S.C. Page 4121; National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited v. Shri Bhagwan (2001) 8 S.C. 574; State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. v. Gobardhan Lal (2004 11 S.C.C. 402; E.P. Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu (1974 4 S.C.C. 3; and Indian Railway Construction Company v. Ajay Kumar (2003) 4 S.C. 579. 7. Mr. S. R. Hussain learned counsel for respondent has argued that at one stage on 7-4-2004, the respondent was sought to be transferred from Srinagar to Hissar in Haryana. The aforesaid transfer order was successfully challenged by him in O. A. No. 872-JK of 2005 which was Decided on 11-7-2007 (Annexure D). The basis of quashing of transfer order was an imaginary report allegedly received by the appellant. That report resulted in his transfer which was never supplied to him. At the time of hearing no such report was produced before the Tribunal and the order was found to be punitive in nature. According to the learned counsel the present order has also been passed on some extraneous consideration. 8. Mr. That report resulted in his transfer which was never supplied to him. At the time of hearing no such report was produced before the Tribunal and the order was found to be punitive in nature. According to the learned counsel the present order has also been passed on some extraneous consideration. 8. Mr. Hussain has then argued that in the Advertisement Notice dated 29-08-1992 (Rl) seven posts of Transmission Executives (Script) were advertised and one of the post (NR-29) was for All India Radio Srinagar (J&K) and the vacancy was unreserved. The respondent being Transmission Executive Kashmiri Script, as is required by the Advertisement was appointed and given posting at Srinagar. He has then made a reference to communication dated 28-9-1995 and had drawn our attention to Item No. 5 were the name of respondent figures and he has been shown in the list of selected candidates for posting him as Transmission Executive (Script Kashmiri). On the basis of aforesaid material it was sought to be argued that Transmission Executive (Kashmiri/Script) is a separate cadre and posting the respondent at any other place would be hit by mala fide because no other radio station would be able to make use of Kashmiri Script. Therefore, it has been urged that in view of the various orders passed by the petitioners or its officers, the order passed by the Tribunal in O.A. No. 872-JK of 2005 Decided on 11-7-2007, the impugned order passed by the Tribunal deserves to be upheld because his service was meant specifically for Kashmiri Script and cannot be utilized anywhere else. 9. It is trite to observe that transfer is an incidence of Govt. service. The law in this area is well settled which concedes to the employer almost absolute right to transfer an employee anywhere to reap his potentials to the maximum. The judgments cited by Mr. Naik support that view. The only principal exception created by law against a transfer order is when (i) it is marred by colorable exercise of powers on account of mala fides of the authorities; or (ii) if it is made in violation of a statutory provision. 10. There are valid reasons as to why transfer of an employee is regarded in the public interest and in the interest of effective administration. 10. There are valid reasons as to why transfer of an employee is regarded in the public interest and in the interest of effective administration. In B. Varadha Rao v. State of Karnataka (1986) 4 SCC 264, their Lordships of the Supreme Court have held that continued posting of an employee at one station for a long period would not be conducive to good administration because long years of posting create vested interest which may not serve the administration and would rather run counter to it. Therefore, the period of posting is generally restricted to a reasonable length, say three years. It is only when the post itself is non transferable or there is a special condition in the employment contract to that effect then transfer may not be possible. 11. When the aforesaid principles are applied to the facts of the present case, it is evident that clause 7 of the appointment letter dated 5-1-1996 (R4) issued to the respondent clearly stipulates that he was liable to be posted and transferred anywhere in India. It is significant to read that clause which is set out below in ex-tenso: "7. You shall be liable to be posted and transferred anywhere in India and if on account of family circumstances, you anticipate any difficulty in the matter of posting you should not accept the offer." 12. It is thus evident that there was clear stipulation in the letter of appointment that the post was transferable and in case the respondent was feeling any difficulty on account of his family circumstances then he was advised not to accept the offer. 13. Another significant feature of this case is that after issuance of advertisement notice on 29-8-1992 a corrigendum was issued on 12.9.1992 which clearly postulates that initial posting could be in one of the All India Radio Station that is held within the jurisdiction of the main Station of All India Radio. However, the first posting was not to give any right that later on they cannot be posted elsewhere. The first paragraph of the corrigendum makes aforesaid position absolutely clear and reads thus:- "F.No. 2/13/92-P&S (Vol. II): Candidates may refer to the Commission's Advertisement No. 2/92 published in the issue of Employment News for the week 29.8.92 to 4.9.92 wherein various posts of Transmission Executives (Specialised Categories viz. The first paragraph of the corrigendum makes aforesaid position absolutely clear and reads thus:- "F.No. 2/13/92-P&S (Vol. II): Candidates may refer to the Commission's Advertisement No. 2/92 published in the issue of Employment News for the week 29.8.92 to 4.9.92 wherein various posts of Transmission Executives (Specialised Categories viz. Scripts, Family Welfare, Science Reporting, Educational Broadcast, Farm & Home, and Dialect & Translation) in the pay-scale of Rs. 1400-2600 existing in different All India Radio Stations, were advertised. The place of Initial posting INDICATED FOR EACH OF THESE Transmission Executive posts in Advt. No. 2/92 are the main stations of All India Radio in the respective zones (State/Union Territory) and candidates who get finally selected are liable to be offered their first/initial posting at any one of the AIR stations that falls within the jurisdiction of the aforesaid main station of AIR in the respective zone. The candidates thus selected cannot, as a matter of right, claim for being offered their first posting at the main station of AIR in the respective zone. In addition, all Transmission Executive posts carry All India Service Liability." 14. The matter does not rest there. The Recruitment Rules applicable to the post of Transmission Executive do not anywhere indicate that the post of Transmission Executive (Script) is non transferable. On the contrary the power to transfer has been held to be implicit consistently by the courts (G.B. Molinamani v. Commissioner, Hubi, Charwar Municipal Corporation, (1974) 1 SLR 669, K.N. Cheluvaiah v. Management of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., (1993) 1 SLR 359). Therefore, there is no impediment in the exercise of powers by the petitioner to transfer its employees including the respondent. 15. The question then is whether the transfer is vitiated on account of any exception? There are no allegation of mala fide against any individual factually nor any such mala fide could in law be inferred. The other exception that any rule should be violated by the order of transfer is also not present in the instant case. The argument of Mr. Hussain, learned counsel for respondent, that in the earlier round of litigation the transfer order was quashed would also not cut any ice because the earlier transfer was stated to be actuated, as per the stand of the petitioner before the Tribunal, by some secret information which was never substantiated nor any report was produced. The argument of Mr. Hussain, learned counsel for respondent, that in the earlier round of litigation the transfer order was quashed would also not cut any ice because the earlier transfer was stated to be actuated, as per the stand of the petitioner before the Tribunal, by some secret information which was never substantiated nor any report was produced. Therefore, even that would not constitute a valid ground for setting aside the order of transfer especially when the power of transfer is regarded as almost absolute. On principle and precedent no doubt is left that respondent has no case warranting quashing of transfer order. 16. As a sequel to above discussion, this petition succeeds. The impugned order dated 7-5-2012 passed by the Tribunal is set-aside. The transfer order passed by the petitioner on 29-10-2010 is upheld. 17. The writ petition is disposed of in the above terms.