2015 seniority list of Punjab ADJs quashed by high court

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has quashed the seniority list of superior judicial service officers comprising district and sessions judges and additional district and sessions judges (ADJs), who were either promoted or recruited in 2008 as ADJs. The list was prepared by the high court administration in 2015.

The high court bench of justice Rajesh Bindal and justice HS Sidhu held that direct recruits on the ADJ’s post would not be entitled to be considered as members of the cadre from the date of their

HC BENCH OF JUSTICES RAJESH BINDAL, HS SIDHU PASSES ORDER; 35 OFFICERS TO BE AFFECTED DIRECTLY

recommendation by the high court to the state government for appointment.

The high court also ruled that the officers of regular promotion category (promoted in due course of service), promoted beyond quota, would be treated as ad hoc and their seniority will not be computed from the time of their appointment.

The high court has now placed those officers on the top of the list, who got promotions through departmental examinations.

Those recruited directly will be placed in the middle and those who got promoted as per their turn would be at the bottom of the list.

A total of 35 officers would be affected by this order directly. As a result of the order, five judicial officers, who were surplus to their quota in regular promotees’ category of 53, would come in the ad hoc category and would not be entitled for computation of their tenure for future avenues.