DISTT. REGISTRAR PALGHAT v . .M. B. KOYY AKUTI February 20 & Ors. v. M. B. KOYYAKUTI A single Judge of the High Court dismissed & Ors.

"The Government consider that in view of the fact that Sri M. B. Koyakutty belongs to a community which is educa tionally backward, the petitionea- should be exempted from the minimum general educational qualification, so as to enable him to be appointed as a Lower Division Clerk in the Regis tration Department under G.O. MS. No. 2858 Rev. dt. 2-11-50 in his tum ........ The Governor of Madras accordingly relaxes rules 28 and 29 of the Special Rules for the Madras Ministerial Service in favour of Sri M. B. Koya kutty, a temporary Section Writer in the Registration Depart ment in the Registration District of Palghat in order to enable him to be appointed as a Lower Division Clerk in that department. Sd/- S. K. Chettu, Secretary to Govt." As a result of this exemption, Koyakutty was appointed a Lower Division Clerk in the Registration Department on May 19, 1954 . Consequent on the reorganisation of the States in 1956, Koyakutty was allotted to the Kerala State Service as Lower Division Clerk in the Registration Department. > • A • I On May 16, 1961, the Government of Kerala issued an Order, in consultation with the Public Service Commission, that "all sucll A R c D E F G H A B c D E F G H 246 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1979] 3 s.c.R. T persons who did not possess the general minimum educational qualifica- tion and were appointed as Lower Division Clerks, after granting !hem exemption from that qualification", may be allowed to sit for a qualifying test to be conducted by the Commission, and in case they secure a certain minimum percentage of marks, they may be regarded as possess- ing the minimum general qualification of the S.S.L.C. Standard for purpose of promotion to Uppe.r Division and higher grades or continu- ance in the Upper Division, as the case may be. The order further • stated that the case of those who have been appointed and are conti nuing in the Upper Division, they need not be disturbed for the present, ' bnt they should be reverted, if they fail to qualify at the next snch examination of the Commission. According to para 3 of the Order,-..l_._ "the minimum marks to be obtained for being declare.cl eligible_ for promotion to or continuance in the Upper Division etc. . ...... will be issued separately." ~ A gradation list of Clerks was prepared by the District Registrar, Palghat, in which Koyakutty was shown at No .. 1 among the officiating Lower Division Qerks, while the original respondents 1 and 2 were shown at Nos. 7 and 6, respectively. In July 1966, two vacancies occurred in the cadre of Upper Divi sion Qerks in the Department. The original respondents 1 and 2, who were junior to Koyakutty, were promoted against those vacancies as Upper Division Clerks. Koyakutty thereupon filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution in the Kerala High Court, praying that the promotion o' original respondents 1 and 2 be quashed and a di.rection be issued requiring the District Registrar, Palghat, and the State of Kerala to consider his claim and to promote him in preference to the original respondents 1 and 2. Koyakutty's contention was that nnder the Rules, seniority should be the basis for promotion; and promotion of his juniors amounted to a denial of equable treatment guaranteed under Article 14 and 16 of the Constitution. His stand was that the exemption granted to him by the Government, removing the bar from being appointed in the Ministerial Service enurcd for all purposes. This cont~ntion was rejected by the trial Judge, who held that the exemption granted to Koyakutty was for the limited object of enabling him to be appointed and continued in the post of a Lower Division Clerk and did ncJt remove the bar of minimum educational qualification for his promo tion to the post of Upper Division Clerk. In the result, Koyakutty's writ petition was dismissed. -·...J..... • ·--- • "" • DISTT. REGISTRAR v. M. B. KOYYAKUTI (Sarkaria, !.) 24 7 On appeal by Koyakutty, a Division Bench of the High Court oreversed the judgment of the learned Single Judge, and directed the District Registrar, Palghat, and the State Government to treat Koya ikutty as eligible for promotion as an Upper Division Clerk and pass necessary orders on that basis. The Division Bench further directed that Koyakutty's rank in the cadre of Upper Division Clerks will, .also, be determined after he is promoted to that Cadre. T • A B Hence this appeal by the District Registrar, Palghat and State. _.l ~ The first question that falls to be considered is, whether in the C "' matter of promotion to the cadre of Upper Division Clerks, the res- pondent was governed by the Madras Ministerial Service Rules or by -<, the Kerala State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1958? The Government of Kerala, ou February 25, 1957, issued an -Order S(D)S..43405/56/PD to the effect that as an interim arrange· D ment, every officer ill the service of the new State would be bourict by the Service Rules of Travancore-Cochin or Madras, as the case may be, to which he belonged prior to November 1, 1956 until common service Jules are framed and issued. Thereafter, in exercise of the powers under the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution, the Governor of Kerala in supersession of all rules on the subject, framed the Kerala State and Subordinate Services Rules, 1958. Part I of these Rules deals with preliminary matters. Rule 2(16) in Part I defines "Special Rules" as meaning "the rules in Part III applicable to each service or class of service." Such Special Rules have not, however, been framed by the Governor. '~ PJlrt II contains the General Rules. Rule 1 in Part II delineates the ~cope of the General Rules. It runs thus : E ,, F "The rules in this Part shall apply to all State and Subordinate Services and the holders of all posts, whether service, appointeti temporary or permanent in any such thereto before, or after the date on which these rules come into force as provided in sub-rule (b) of rule l in Part I except to the extent otherwise expressly, provided (a) by or nnder any law for the time being in force, or (b) in respect of any member of such service by a contract or agreement subsisting between such member and the State Government." G H v • 248 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1979] 3 s.c.R. A Rule 2 in the same Part provides : "2. Relation to the Special Rules.-If any provision in the General Rules contained in the Part is repugnant to a provision in the Special Rules applicable to any particular service contained in Part Ill, the latter shall in respect of that service, prevail over the provision in the General Rules in this Part." T • It will bear repetition that since no Special Rules, as defined inc Rule 2(16) of Part I, have so far been framed by the Governor u~der Article 309 of the Constitution, Rule 2 in Part II has remained~ ' • otiose. < --- J Rule 28 in Part II provides regarding promotion. Clause (i) of clause (b) of this rule deals with promotion and appointment by transfer to a selection catego.ry or Selection Grade in a service. Such promotion shall be made ou the basis of merit and ability, seniority being considered only where merit and ability are approximately equal. Sub-clause (ii) of clause (b) of Rule 28 is captioned : "Promotion and appointment by transfer to higher posts according to seniority". Its material part, as it stood before the amendment of Decembe;r 28, 1970, reads as under : "All other promotions or appointments by transfer shall, subject to the provisions of these rules and the special rules. be m~de in accordance with seniority subject to the person's fitness for appointment." -· referred It is contended on behalf of the appellants that by virtue of the Kerala Government Order dated February 25, 1957, earlier, the Special Rules contained in the Madras Ministerial Service Rules, continued to govern the respondent because those Special Rules..~ have not been superseded by the Kerala Rules of 1958. The pofnt • sought to be made out is that the Special Rules, within the meaning of Rule 2 in Part U read with the aforesaid Government Order dated February 25, 1957, will mean the Special Rules contained in the Madras Rules. A similar argument was raised before the Appellate Bench of the High Court, also, and it was repelled, and, in our opinion, rightly. Special Rules for the purpose of the Kerala Rules, 1958, will be as defined in Rule 2(16) in Part I. That definition contemplates that Special Rules in Part III will be framed by the Governor of Kerala. But, no such rules have so far been framed. • We have, therefore, ne> hesitation in holding, in agreement with the High Court, that in the matte;r of promotion as an Upper Division 1 1 B c D E F G H DISTT. REGISTRAR v. M. B. KOYYAKUTI (Sarkaria, J.) 2 49 • • Clerk, the appellant was governed by Rule 28(b) (ii) in Part II . A The alternative contention tbat has been advanced on behalf of the appellant is that even if Rule 28 (b )(ii) was applicable, then also, it was well within t!Je power of the State Government to prescribe a test to judge the fitness of those persons who did not possess the minimum educational qualification and were appointed as Lower B Division Clerks on being exempted from that qualification by Govern ment Order. ·, "> In this connection, reference has, been made to Article 162 of the Constitution, to show what the State GO'Vernment could do by framing < .).._ __ a statutory rule under Article 309, proviso, could well be done by an executive order, tbe executive power of the State being co-extensive with its legislative power. Government to prescribe selective test for promotion to highe.r service has been recognised by tbis Court in several decisions. Reference has been made in this connection to the decisions of this Court in B. N. Nagarajan & Ors. v. State of Mysore & Ors.(1); Union of India D etc. v. Majji Jangamayya etc.('); State of Jammu & Kashmir v. Triloki Nath Khosa & Ors.('). It is maintained that the power of C • It was further submitted that the possession of the minimum educational qualification, i.e. a certificate of having passed tbe S.L.C. Examination or any equivalent examination is presumptive proof of the fitness of the holder thereof, for promotion to the cadre of Upper Division Clerks. Therefore, according to the counsel, there was a reasonable basis, for classifying those who did not possess tbis minimum educational qualification as a category apart from those who possessed such a qualification. In tbis context, it is further emphasised that the exemption was granted only for tbe purpose of being appointed as a )-.- _Lower Division Clerk, a!'d not for the purpose of further promotion. • -• • As against this, Mr. Nambiar, appearing foc the respondents, 5Ub- mils that once the bar of minimum educational qualification was removed for appointment as Lower Division Clerk, further promotion of the respondent was governed by Rule 28(b){ii), Part I of the Kerala Rules of !958. After their appo, intment, the respondent or others like him who had been exempted from possessing the minimum educational qualification, had become integral members of the same cadre. They could not be singled out for hostile treatment. Counsel has submitted that the rule enunciated by this Court in Triloki Nath (I) [1966] 3 S.C.R. 682 (2) [1977]2 S.C.R. 28 (3) AIR 1974 S.C. I. 17-196 SCI/79 E F G H ... • { 250· SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1979] 3 s.c.R. Khosa's case (ibid), is not applicable because the facts of that case we.re entirely different. Counsel further stated that any executive order issued by the Government, cannot supplant the statutory rules framed by the Governor under Article 309. Executive instructions can operate only in areas not covered by the rules. But here the area was fully occupied by the statutory rule 28(b)(ii). There can be no quarrel with the proposition that if the statutory rules framed by the Governor or any law enacted by the State Legis lature under Article 309 is silent on any: particular point, the Govern ment can fill up that gap and supplement the rule by issuing adminis trative instructions not inconsistent with the statutory provisions already framed or enacted. The Executive instructions in order to be valid must run subservient to the statutory provisions. instant case, however, it could not be said that there was a gap or a void in the statutory provisions in the matter of promotion from the cadre of Lower Division Clerks to that of Upper Division Cle.rks. In After the enactment of the Kerala Public Services Act of 1968, the position was that by virtue of Section 3 of that Act, the Kerala State Subordinate Services Rules of 1958 framed by the Governor un.der the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution were deemed to have been made under the Act and we.re continued until superseded by rules made under that Act. As noticed already, no Special Rules relating to Upper Division Clerks have been framed. The General Rules in Part II will, therefore, be applicable to Upper Division Clerks, also. A B c E F G It will beaJ:" repetition that the preamble to the Rules and Rule I in Part II, indicate that all the previous rules have been superseded. These General Rules do not provide any minimum general educa- tional qualification for promotion to the cadre of Upper Division Clerks from that of Lower Division Clerks. All that is required by rule 28 (b) (ii) which governs the Lower Division to the Upper Division, is tbat promotions shall be made m accordance with seniority subject to the person's fitness for appointment. There sub-rule or elsewhere H which provides that a member of the Lower Division will be presumed to be unfit for promotion to the Upper Division unless the minimum general educational qualification, or he possesses the promotions from is nothing in • • ~ -c • • ' • , ' '> J~ DISTT. REGISTRAR v. M. B. KOYYAKUTI (Sarkaria, J.) 251 It is conceivable that the State Government passes a qualifying test. may prescribe a general test for all Clerks of the Lower Division to judge their fitness for promotion to the Upper Di,ision. But, such is not the case here. The respondent and the others like him who were appointed as Lower Division Clerks after granting them exemp tion from possessing the minimum general educational qualification have been singled out for this discriminatory treatment. There 1iothing on the record to show that the case of the respondent was considered for promotion and he was found unfit. The ratio of Triloki Nath Khosa's case (ibid) does not advance the case of the appellant State. Therein, persons appointed directly and -by promotion were integrated into a common class of Assistant Engi neers. Rule 12 provided that Graduates among the Assistant Engi- neers, shall be eligible for promotion to the cadre of Executive Engi neers, to the exclusion of diploma-holders. This rule was a statutory rule. Its constitutional validity was challenged on the ground that it violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. This Court, speaking through Chandrachud J. (as he then was), repelled this cmtention with the reasoning that the classification of Assistant Engineers into degree-holders and diploma-holders could not be held to rest on any unreal or unreasonable basis. The classification was made with a view to achieving administrative efficiency in the Engineering Services . • In the present case, It will be seen that Triloki Nath's case, is distinguishable from t!:e one before us, at least, in three important aspects. Firstly, in that case, the statutory rule in question did not make any discrimination in relation to the source of recruitment, it simply provided that Gradu ates alone shall go into the higher cadre of Executive Engineers, irres pective of whether they were appointed as Assistant Engineers directly impugned notification or by promotion. ~--prescribes a qualifying test for promotion, not for all but only for one • _ category of persons with reference to the manner in which they initial- ly entered service. Secondly, in Triloki Nath's case the post of the -• Executive Engineer carried higher responsibility and duties of a super visory character requiring higher mental equipment and adm'nisfra tive skill. Thus, there, the classification rested on intelligible diITer entiru having a direct nexus to the object (viz., administrative effi- In the instant case, there is nothing on record ciency), to be achieved. to show that the duties discharged by the clerks of the Upper Division are substantially different from those in the Lower D:vision. Thirdly, in the instant case the statutory rule docs not warrant the cla,s'.fica- tion made by the impugned Government Order. The primary crite rion for promotion to the Upper Division prescribed by Rule 28(b) (ii) is otherwise not urn'. The in seniority if the person concerned • ,.. A B c D E F G II • ) 252 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1979] 3 s.c.R. impugned Government Order impinges upon that statutory rule inas much as it lays down that even if a Lower Div.ision Clerk who entered service as a result of exemption from possession minimum educational qualification, satisfied the criterion of seniority-cum-fitness prescribed by this Rule, he shall not be considered for promotion unless he qualifies in the test. recruits, The relevant statutory Rules governing the appellant do not pro vide any minimum general education qualification for promotion to the Upper Division. • The case in point is Roshal Lal Tandon v. Union of India.(') In ' that case, before the impugned notification was issued, there was only one rule of promotion for both the departmental promotees and the-- ~"- • direct recruits, and that rule was seniority-cum-suitability, and there ? was no rule of promotion separately made for application to direct recruits. As a result of the impugned notification, a discriminatory treatment was made in favour of the direct i.e. existing Apprentice Train Examiners who had already been absorbed in Grade 'D' by March 31, 1966, because the notification provided that this group of Apprentice Train Examiners should first be accommodated en bloc in Grade 'C' upto 80 per cent of vacancies reserved for them without undergoing any selection. Ramaswami J., speaking for a learned Judges, held that the impugned notification Bench of violated the guarantee under Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. The reason was that once the direct recruits and promotees were absorbed in one cadre, they formed one class and they could not be discriminated against for the purpose of further promotion In that case, it was not disputed that before the higher Grade 'C'. impugned notification was issued there was only one rule of promotion for both the departmental promotees and the direct recruits and that rule was 'seniority-cum-suitability'. The impugned notification was discriminatory because in the case of that category who were appointed- ~ as Train Examiners by promotion the aforesaid test of 'seniority-cum- suitability' prescribed by the rule for further promotion to the higher Grade 'C' was abandoned and, instead, selection on merit only was adopted. • •- . B c D E J!' G The principle enunciated in Roshan Lal Tandon v. Union of India applies with greater force to the facts of the present case because here the classification made by the impugned Government Order is not only unfair and irrational but also, virtually amounts to abandonment of the test of seniority-cum-fitness provided in rule 28 (b) (ii). H The last point for consideration is, whether it was proper for the High Court to issue a positive direction requiring the appellant to •• ll) [196811s.c.R.1ss. • DISTT. REGISTRAR v. M. B. KOYYAKUTI (Sarkaria, /.) 253 promote the respondent to the Upper Division and thereafter to deter mine his rank in the cadre of Upper Division Clerks. Ordinarily, the court does not issue a direction in such positive terms, but the peculiar feature of this case is that it has not been disputed that Koyakutty respondent satisfies the two-fold cr; terion for promotion laid down in the statutory rule 28(b)(ii). Indeed, the District Registrar, Palghat, who was impleaded as respondent 3 in the writ petition, expressly admitted in paragraph 8 of his counter-affidavit filed before the High Court, "that the seniority of service is the basis of promotion from the ranks of Lower Division Clerks to the ranks of Upper Division Clerks provided they are fully qualified by passing the departmental tests for It was never the case of the Registrar that Koyakutty the purpose". was not otherwise fit for promotion. Indeed, even in the grounds of appeal to this Court, incorporated in the Special Leave Petition, it is not alleged that Koyakutty did not satisfy the criterion of seniority cum-fitness prescribed by Rule 28 (b) (ii). The position taken by the appellant, throughout, was that this rule should be deemed to have heen "supplemented" by the impugned Government Notification. It is not correct that the impugned Notification merely "supplements" or fills up a gap in the statutory rules. It tends to superadd or super impose by an Executive fiat on the statutory rules something inconsis .. tent with the same. Since the existence of both the criteria viz., seniority and fitness for promotion to the Upper Division prescribed by the statutory Rule 28(b) (ii), in the case of Koyakutty was not dis puted, the High Court was justified in issuing the direction, it did. For the foregoing reasons the appeal fails and is dismissed with A B c D E costs. )..- -P.B.R. • • A ppeai d1sm1ssed . ..