JAMMU, Sept 25: Central Administrative Tribunal Jammu Bench has quashed the 2015 select list for Technician-III posts in Jammu district and directed authorities to consider eligible candidates from Samba against 11 disputed vacancies.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday by a Bench comprising Judicial Member Rajinder Singh Dogra and Administrative Member Ram Mohan Johri in Transfer Application No. 7564 of 2020, filed by Rakesh Sharma of Chak Baglan and Vishav Deepak of Badali, Samba.
The petitioners, both ITI diploma holders in the electrician trade, argued that 11 Samba cadre posts in Engineering Division Vijaypur were wrongly merged with Jammu district vacancies in the 2013 recruitment notification.
Despite a 2014 High Court direction to accept their application forms, authorities allegedly went ahead with the selection process without considering their candidature.
On May 12, 2015, the Service Selection Board issued a select list filling only 38 out of 102 advertised posts, leaving 64 vacant.
The petitioners challenged this list, contending that Samba candidates were unfairly excluded. The J&K Government and SSB defended their action, stating that Samba-created as a separate district in 2007-had no independent Technician-III cadre at the time.
They claimed the disputed posts rightly fell under Jammu district's quota. Authorities further argued that in 2015, seven posts were specifically earmarked for Samba, but the applicants did not apply.
After examining the case, the Tribunal ruled that the 11 posts were indeed Samba district cadre vacancies and should have been filled by local eligible candidates. Accordingly, the 2015 selection list (Item 350, Notification 04 of 2013) was set aside.
The Bench directed authorities to consider the applicants and other Samba candidates afresh. If found meritorious, they must be appointed against posts reserved earlier by the High Court.
The Tribunal order administration to complete excercise in three months, making it clear that no costs were imposed.
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