Roadways inspector demoted

A case of awarding promotion to an employee while overlooking the seniority of many others has surfaced in Rewari depot of Haryana Roadways. A booking clerk, Birender Singh, was first promoted as an inspector from back date against the Service Rules and was also given promotion benefits of the past 24 years. The legality of the promotion landed into controversy when his senior colleagues approached the High Court and Director, General State Transport (DGST), Haryana, against the ‘undue’ development. Significantly, the DGST recently demoted the ‘inspector’ stating that Birender was promoted to the post of inspector inadvertently due to misinterpretation of Service Rules 1982. However, he has now been given the post of sub-inspector from the date of promotion of his juniors. Sources said Birender was appointed booking clerk on August 3, 1984. He had filed a petition in the High Court in 2012 seeking promotion to the post of inspector while referring to a court judgment on the basis of which his colleague, Ramji Lal, who was initially appointed as booking clerk, was promoted to the post of inspector. “The court disposed of Birender’s petition, directing the Transport Commissioner to decide his representation by passing a speaking order within three months. The authorities then promoted Birender as inspector from December 12, 1988 notionally,” the sources stated. Thereafter, Bhagat Singh and five other employees who were senior to Birender, filed a petition in the High Court and sought promotion to the post of inspector/ chief inspector/ station supervisor with all consequential benefits from back dates on which their junior was promoted. “The court disposed of our petition in March 2014, directing the DGST to decide our representation within four months. Then, a show cause notice was served on Birender regarding his promotion. The DGST, during inquiry, found his promotion against the Service Rules and reverted Birender from the post of inspector,” said Bhagat Singh. The DGST also made it clear that there was no parity in the cases of Ramji Lal and Birender, hence they cannot be treated at par, the sources claimed. Mahipal Singh, General Manager with Rewari Depot, said the order received from the DGST regarding the demotion of Birender had been executed.