# K.GOPAUL v. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS

- **Citation:** [1967] 3 S.C.R. 627
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1964-01-25
- **Case number:** Civil Appeals Nos. 2426 and 2430 of 1966
- **Bench:** K. N. Wanchoo, V. Bhargava, G. K. Mitter
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/k-gopaul-v-union-of-india-and-others-3976
- **Pages:** 9

## Headnote

c
D
E
F
G
H
Constitution of India-Articles 14, 311-Appe/lant occupying post of
Inspector General of
Registration,
Madras-Post
included In I.A.S.
l~adre--Appellant transferred to another· post
no.~ as head of
4eparr~
ment-Whether reduction in rank-Central Govt. including a post in one
State in l.A.S. Cadre and not tn another-Whether discrimination.
The appellant was holding and had been confirmed in the post of
Inspector General of Registration (I.G.R.), Madras, when, on November 11 1963, the post of I.G.R. was included in the cadre of the Indian
Adminlstrative Service (I.A.S.). On January 25, 1964, a Government
order was issued posting a member of the I.A.S. who was holding the
po;t of a Deputy Secretary, as l.G.R., Madras, vice the appellant.
On
January 30, 1964 by an~ther order, the appellant was posted to act temporarily as Accommodation Controller. Madras and the person whom be
replaced was posted as Director of Fisheries, Madras,
The appellant's.
appointment was made on the same grade pay which he was then drawing plus certain special allowances. The appellant moved a petition under
Art. 226 of the Constitution challenging the two orders of January 25
and January 30, 1964.
While the petition before the High Court was pending, by another
order dated June 6, 1964 the temporary post of Accommodation Controller which earlier existed in the cadre of Deputy Secretary (Non1.A.S.), was kept in abeyance with effect from February 6, 1964 and a
new temporary post of Accommodation Controller, Madra•, was sanctioned in the same grade as that of the appellant and it was directed that the
appellant be deemed to have acted in that post from February 6, 1964
to April 14, 1964. The appellant then moved another writ petition challenging this order. A single Bench of the High Court dismissed the
two petitions. While the appeals were pending before a Division Bench.
the Court was informed through a
letter from the Government ·to its
counsel that when the post of I.G.R. was included in the I.A.S. service
cadre, the Government had Alecided that in order to protect the Tights of
the appellant, a supernumerary post of I.G.R. should be created
with
effect from November 11, 1963. Taking notice of this lelter the High·
~n dismissed the appeals holding that all the rights of the appellants
in respect of pension and gratuity had been protected and there had been
no removal from service or reduction in rank in the case of the appellant. By orders dated October 6, 1966 and February 10, 1967, the supernumerarv post of LG.I. was sanctioned up to such time as the appellant
was confirmed Jn another post.
Jn the ~ppeal before this Court it was contended on behalf of the
a.Ppellant (1) that by transferring him and posting him as Accommodation .C:Ontroller he had been reduced in rank without complying with tho
provisions of Art. 31,1 of the Constitution; the I.G.R. was declared head
of a Department whtle the Accommodation Controller was not head of
a department; t~e post of Accommodation Controller was held by an officer who, on relief by the appellant, was promoted to the post created in
the grade of a Deputy Secretary and from this it must be inferred that
628
SUPllEMB COURT llEPOllTS
(1967) 3 S.C.R.
the post of Accommodation Controller was lower in rank than the post
of a Deputy Secretary, whereas the post of I.G.R. was
a rank higher
than that of a Deputy Secretary; (ii) that while the appellant was holding
the post of I.G.R. be bad a lien on a permanent post, but, when be was
>ent to the post of Accommodation
Controller. the appellant was left
\vithout a lien on any permanent post and that would necessarily deprive
him of his rights to pension and gratuity which would amount to his removal from service as a punishment; and (iii) that the post of I.G.R.
had been placed in the cadre of I.A.S. in the State of Madras only and
in no other State and, as a consequence, the appellant lost his appointment to that post due to the unequal treatment.
HELD : Dismissin

## Text

A
K.GOPAUL
v.
UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS
Avril 12, 1967
627
B
[K. N. WANCHOO, C.J., V. BHARGAVA AND G. K. MITTER, JJ.]
c
D
E
F
G
H
Constitution of India-Articles 14, 311-Appe/lant occupying post of
Inspector General of
Registration,
Madras-Post
included In I.A.S.
l~adre--Appellant transferred to another· post
no.~ as head of
4eparr~
ment-Whether reduction in rank-Central Govt. including a post in one
State in l.A.S. Cadre and not tn another-Whether discrimination.
The appellant was holding and had been confirmed in the post of
Inspector General of Registration (I.G.R.), Madras, when, on November 11 1963, the post of I.G.R. was included in the cadre of the Indian
Adminlstrative Service (I.A.S.). On January 25, 1964, a Government
order was issued posting a member of the I.A.S. who was holding the
po;t of a Deputy Secretary, as l.G.R., Madras, vice the appellant.
On
January 30, 1964 by an~ther order, the appellant was posted to act temporarily as Accommodation Controller. Madras and the person whom be
replaced was posted as Director of Fisheries, Madras,
The appellant's.
appointment was made on the same grade pay which he was then drawing plus certain special allowances. The appellant moved a petition under
Art. 226 of the Constitution challenging the two orders of January 25
and January 30, 1964.
While the petition before the High Court was pending, by another
order dated June 6, 1964 the temporary post of Accommodation Controller which earlier existed in the cadre of Deputy Secretary (Non1.A.S.), was kept in abeyance with effect from February 6, 1964 and a
new temporary post of Accommodation Controller, Madra•, was sanctioned in the same grade as that of the appellant and it was directed that the
appellant be deemed to have acted in that post from February 6, 1964
to April 14, 1964. The appellant then moved another writ petition challenging this order. A single Bench of the High Court dismissed the
two petitions. While the appeals were pending before a Division Bench.
the Court was informed through a
letter from the Government ·to its
counsel that when the post of I.G.R. was included in the I.A.S. service
cadre, the Government had Alecided that in order to protect the Tights of
the appellant, a supernumerary post of I.G.R. should be created
with
effect from November 11, 1963. Taking notice of this lelter the High·
~n dismissed the appeals holding that all the rights of the appellants
in respect of pension and gratuity had been protected and there had been
no removal from service or reduction in rank in the case of the appellant. By orders dated October 6, 1966 and February 10, 1967, the supernumerarv post of LG.I. was sanctioned up to such time as the appellant
was confirmed Jn another post.
Jn the ~ppeal before this Court it was contended on behalf of the
a.Ppellant (1) that by transferring him and posting him as Accommodation .C:Ontroller he had been reduced in rank without complying with tho
provisions of Art. 31,1 of the Constitution; the I.G.R. was declared head
of a Department whtle the Accommodation Controller was not head of
a department; t~e post of Accommodation Controller was held by an officer who, on relief by the appellant, was promoted to the post created in
the grade of a Deputy Secretary and from this it must be inferred that
628
SUPllEMB COURT llEPOllTS
(1967) 3 S.C.R.
the post of Accommodation Controller was lower in rank than the post
of a Deputy Secretary, whereas the post of I.G.R. was
a rank higher
than that of a Deputy Secretary; (ii) that while the appellant was holding
the post of I.G.R. be bad a lien on a permanent post, but, when be was
>ent to the post of Accommodation
Controller. the appellant was left
\vithout a lien on any permanent post and that would necessarily deprive
him of his rights to pension and gratuity which would amount to his removal from service as a punishment; and (iii) that the post of I.G.R.
had been placed in the cadre of I.A.S. in the State of Madras only and
in no other State and, as a consequence, the appellant lost his appointment to that post due to the unequal treatment.
HELD : Dismissing the appeal :
(i) The mere fact that the post of Accommodation
Controller to
which the appellant had been transferred was not designated the post of
a head of department did not necessarily involve any ·reduction in rank.
It is \\'Cl! kno\'1n that a ·Government servio~. there may be senior posts,
the holders of which are not declaP'..d heads of department while persons
holding comparatively junior posts may be declared as such. Furthermore, there was no reduction in rank of the appellant for it was clear,
on the fact<. that the post of J.G.R. was not higher in rank but lower
than that of a Deputy Secretary. In fact the post was equated with that
of an Assistant Secretary. [631H-632B, G]
(ii) The mere transfer of th1' appellant to the post of Accommodation
Controller did not have the effect of his removal from his se.rvice; although it was true that when the order of bis transfer was initially passed
on January 30, 1964 no provision was made for his retaining a lien on
any permanent post, this position was eventually corrected when a super ..
numery post of I.G.R. was created from November 11, 1963 and it was
laid do\\·n that it would exist until such time as the appellant was con ..
firmed in another post. It could not be said that this supemumery post
was a temporary post within the meaning of Rule 9(30); it was a permanent post within Rule 9(22) of the Fundamental Rules of the Madras
Government for it had been created for an indefinite period and
was
to continue in existence as long as the appellant held it and was not oonlirmed in any other post. [633B-C; 634F-F]
(iii) Under Rule 4(1) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre)
Rules, 1954, framed under the All India Service Act
61 of 1951, the
•trengtb and composition of the cadre of the I.A.S. constituted far a
State are to be determined by Regulations made by the Central Government in consultation with the State Governments.
DependinJI on the
·.conditions in each State, the Government may coniider it desirable that
a particular post should be · placed on the Cadre of the tA.S. in one
·State but not in another. The order of the Central Government cannot
therefore be held to be void on the f.l'OUnd of discrimination. [634G-H;
·63SB-C]
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeals Nos. 2426
and 2430 of 1966.
Appeals by special leave from the judgment and order dated
October 14, 1965 of the Madras High Court in Writ Appeals
Nos. 41 and 42 of I 965.
N. S. Somasundaram. E. C. Agarwal, Champat Rai and P. C.
Agarwala, for the appellant (in both the appeals).
A
II
c
I>
r
G
H
GOPAUL v. UNION tBhargava, J.)
629
A
R. H. Dhebar for S. P. Nayyar, for respondent No. 1 (in both
B
c
D
E
F
G
H
the appeals) .
G. Ramanujam and A. V. Rangam, for respondents Nos. 2
and 3 (in both the appeals).
The Judgment of the Coun was delivered by
Bbargava, J. The appellant, K. Gopaul, was appointed to the
'.11adras Registration Service as. a direct recruit and commenced
his service on posting as a District Registrar in Jam,1ary, 1939.
Under the latest Rules governing the Madras Registration Service,
the Service consists of two Classes.
Class I has only one post
in it, viz., Inspector-General of Registration. l!n Class II, there
are two categories; category 1 consists of posts of Inspectors of
Reg1station Offices, and category 2 of posts of District Regi~trars.
Under these Rules, the appellant was promoted
as
InspectorGeneral of Registration (hereinafter referred to as "l.G.R.") in
the post in Class I on 8th June, 1956, and was confirmed m that
p0st by the Government Order dated 9th November, 1957, with
effect from 9th June, 1956.
While he was still holding this post,
the post of I.G.R. was included in the cadre of the Indian Administrative Service with effect from 11th November, 1963.
On
25th January, 1964, a Government Order was issued posting ou~
0.JI. Dias of the Indian Administrative Service, who was holding
a post of Deputy Secretary to Government, Revenue Department.
as I.G.R., Madras, vlce the appellant. That Government Order
contained a note that orders regarding the posting of the appellant
will be issued separately from the Home Department.
Then, on
30<h January, 1964, a Government Order was issued posting the
appellant to act temporarily as Accommodation Controller, Madras, vice one M. Sargunam. That Order further laid down that
the appellant, as Accommodation Controller,
will continue h>
draw his grade pay in the scale of Rs. 1,200-100/2-1,400 and.
in addition, he will draw a special pay Rs. 100 p~r month and
,,lsu a conveyance allowance of Rs. 75 per month if a car is maintained or Rs. 62/50P per month, if no car is maintained.
On
receiving this Order, the appellant moved a petition under Art.
226 o~ the Constitution in the High Court of Madras, seeking the
;iuashmg of the Order of the Government of India placing th"
post of l.G.R., Madras, in the Cadre of the Indian Administratiw
Service with effect from 11th November, 1963. as well as th~
Order of the Madras Government dated 30th January,
1964.
transferring the appellant to the post of Accommodation Controller, Madras.
In pursuance of the Government Order made on
ihe 5th January, 1964, a notification was published in the Gazette
Jated 5th February, 1964. In this notification, the posting of
0. H. Dias as I.G.R., Madras, in place of the appellant, wa•
uotified. In addition. it was laid down that the cadre post of Direc-
630
SUPREME COURT llBPOllTS
[1967] 3 S.C.R.
tor of Fisheries, Madras, was to be kept temporarily in abeyance
until further orders, and, instead, sanction was accorded to the
creation of a temporary post of Director of Fisheries, Madras, in
the grade of a ,Deputy Secretary to Government (non-I.A.S.) for
a period of six months from the date of appointment or till the need
for it ceased, whichever was earlier. The notification proceeded to
Jay down that M. Sargunam is posted to act as Director of Fisheries,
Madras, in the newly sanctioned post. Obviously, this posting was
ordered, so that the post of Accommodation Controller, to which
the appellant was transferred, should fall va(iant and should be
available for the appellant to take charge of it.
While the petltion before the High Court was still pending,
another Order was issued by the Madras Government on the 6th
June, 1964, keeping the temporary post of Accommodation
Controller, Madras, which earlier existed in the cadre of Deputy
Secretary (non-1.A.S.), in abeyance with effect froill 6th February,
1964 afternoon; and with effect from the same date, sanction was
accorded to the creation of a temporary post of Accommodation
Controller, Madras, is the scale of Rs. 1,200-100/2-1,400 for
the period from 6-2-1964 to 14-4-1964 afternoon (both days
inclusive). This scale of pay, it appears, was t.be scale in which
the appellant was drawing his salary in the post of I.G.R.
By
this Order dated 6th June, 1964, it was further directed that the
appellant, who was appointed as Accommodation Controller by
the Order dated 30th January, 1964, should be deemed to have
acted in the post sanctioned by this Order durinp; the period from
6-2-1964 afternoon to the afternoon of 14-4-1964 (both day•
inclusive).
It may be mentioned that after the Order of 6th June.
1964 had been passed, the appellant moved another petition in
the High· Court challenging that Order also.
Both the petitions
were decided by a common judgment by a single Judge of the
High Court on 2nd December, 1964.
The appellant then filed appeals before a Division Bench of
the High Court.
While these appeals were pending before the
Division Bench, a letter was sent on behalf of the Government
of Madras to the Counsel representing the Government in the
.appeals on 27th August, 1965. In that letter, it was s'tated that,
when the post of I.G.R. was included in the Indian Administrative Service Cadre of the State, the Government had decided that.
in order to protect the rights of the appellant, a supernumerary
post of I.G.R. in the State Service should be created with effect
from 11th November, 1963, the date on which the above post
was included in the Indian Administrative Service Cadre. It
was added that, in the circumstances, there would not be anv
reduction in the pension and p;ratuity of the appellant consequent
on the inclusion of the post of I.G.R. in the l'ndian Administrative
A
B
c
D
E
F
G
H
B
c
D
E
'
G
ff
GOPAUL v. UNION (Bhargava, J.)
631
Service.
It appears that, by this time, it was realised by
the
Government that the effect of the earlier Orders made in the case
of the appellant was that the appellant was not holding lien on
any permanent post and was only working on the temporary post
of Accommodation Controller with the resul. that the appellant
was likely to suffer in the matter of earning pension and gratuity
in his service.
The Bench of the High Ci'lurt hearing the appeals
took notice of this letter and dismissed the appeals on the 14th
October, 1965, holding that all the rights of the apprlJ.ant in
respect of pension and gratuity had been protected and that there
had been no removal from service or reduction in rank in the
case of the appellant.
Thereupon, the appellant' sought JeaYe to
appeal to this Court under Article 136 of the Constitution against
the commoμ order of the High Court dismissing !he two appeals
arising out of the two writ petitions. Special leljve was granted
and that is how these appeals have come up before us.
During the pendency of these appeals, the Madras GoveJlll•
rnent, on 6th October, 1966, issued a Government Order sanctioning the creation of a supernumerary post of Additional Inspector-General of Registration in the State Service in the scale
of Rs. 1200-100/2-1400 with effect from 11th Nove1J1ber, 1963.
Later still, on 10th February, 1967, another Order was issued, in
supersession of the orders issued on 6th October, 1966, conveying
the Gover~ment sanction to .the creation of a supernum7rary P?~t
of f.G.R. m the State Sernce not borne on the Indran Civil
Administration Cadre in the scale of Rs. 1200-100/2-1400 with
effect from 11-11-1963 until such time as the appellant is confirmed in another post. It is on these facts, which have now been
placed before us, that we have to decide these appeals in. which
the appellant challenges the Orders of the Government posting
.him as Accommodation Controller.
On behalf of the appellant, these Orders of the Gowrnment
have been challenged on three grounds. The first ground urged
is that, by transferring the appellant and posting him as Accommodation. Controller, he has been reduced in rank and this reduction in rank was ordered without complying with the provisions
of Art 311 of the Constitution. This submission is based on the
~ircumstance that, accordinl( to Entry 13 in Ap11endix II which
is referred to in subsidiary definition (ii) of Rule 9 of Part I of
the Fundamental Rules of the Madras Government, the I.G.R. has
been declared to be the Head of a Department, while the Accommodation Controller is not the Head of a Department. We cannot accept the submission that the mere fact that the post of
Accommodation Controller, to which the appellant has been transferred, has not been designated as the post of .a Head of the Department necessarily involves any reduction in rank. In fact. it
632
SUPRBMB COUR.T llEPOllTS
[1967) 3 S.C.R.
is well-known that in Government service, there may be senior
posts, the holders of which are not declared as Heads of Department, while persons holding comparatively junior posts may be
declared as such.
The rank in Government service does not
depend on the mere circumstance that the government servant, in
the discharge of his duties, is given certain powers. In the case
of the appellant, it is to be noticed that, from the very initial
stage, it was laid down that, on being transferred to the post of
the Accommodation Controller, he was still to continue to draw
pay in the scale of Rs. 1,200-100/2-1,400 which was the scale
m . which he was drawing his pay while working in the post of
I.G.R.
The appellant was, thus, not sent to a ,post carrying a
lower scale of pay.
This point was further urged on the bash
that the post of Accommodation Controller was held by an Officer
who, on relief by the appellant, was promoted to the post created
in the grade of a Deputy Secretary. to Government (non-I.AS.).
From this fact it was sought to be inferred that the post of
Accommodation Controller was lower in rank than the post of a
Deputy Secretary to Government, and it was urged that the post
of I.G.R. was of a rank higher than that of a Deputy Secretary.
The argument completely fails in view of the appellant's own affidavit showing the method of recruitment to the post of I.G.R.
The appellant stated that the method of recruitment for the post
of I.G.R. was from two sources.
One was by promotion of the
Inspector of Registration Offices or District Registrars, and the
other recruitment by transfer from Deputy Collectors or Assistant
Secretaries to Government. The second method of appointment
to the post of I.G.R. makes it clear that this post is equated with
that of a Deputy Collector or Assistant Secretary to Government
because persons holding those posts can be appointed as I.G.R.
by mere transfer. If the post of I.G.R. had been senior to that
of the Deputy Collector or Assistant Se'cretary to Government,
the appointment could not have been made to that post by mere
transfer, but would necessarily have involved promotion.
The
submission made on behalf of the appellant that the post of I.G.R.
is higher in rank than that of a Deputy Secretary is thus clearly
wrong;. In fact, the post is lower in rank than that of a Deputy
Secretary and. is equated with that of an Assistant Secretary. It
has not even been suggested anywhere that the post of Accommodation Controller is lower in rank than that of an Assistant
secretary to Government or a ·Deputy Collector.
On the other
hand, the inforn1ation given to us in the course of the arguments
'bowed that, under the Rules, the Accommodation Controller
works directly under the control of the· Government, while the
I.G.R. is subordinate to the Board of Revenue. We, consequently,
find no force at all in the plea that ibe posting of the appellant as
Accommodation Controller, when he was holding the post of
T.G.R. amounted to reduction in rank.
B
c:
E
F
G
A
B
1
c
D
E
F
G
H
GOPAUL v. UNION (Bhargava, J.)
633
The second point urged on behalf of the appellant was that,
while the appellant was holding the post of I.G.R., he had a lien
on a permanent post, but, when he was sent to the post of Accommodation Controller and O.H. Dias was appointed
as l.G.R.
after placing that post in the Cadre of the Indian Administrative
Service, the appellant was left without a lien on any permanent
post, and that would necessarily deprive the appellant of his rights
to pension and gratuity, so that his transfer to the post of Accommodation Controller would· amount to his removal from service as
a punishment. The mere transfer to the post of Accommodation
Controller did not bring into effect removal of the appellant from
government service. It is, however, correct that, when the order
of his tramfer was initially passed on 30th January, 1964, no
provision was made for his retaining lien on any permanent post,
and, if that position had been maintained, the appellant would, no
doubt. have lost his rights to pension and gratuity. Under Rule
361 of the Madras Pension Code, the service of an officer doe,
not qualify for pension unless it confonns to the following threie
2onditions :-
First-The service must be under Government.
Second.-The employment must be substantive and permanent.
Third.-The service must be paid by Government.
On transfer of the appellant to the post of Accommodation
Controller, the first and the third conditions continued to be satisfied but the employment of the appellant in a substantive and
permanent post ceased. This second condition is further explained in Rule 368 which lays down that service does not qualify
unless the officer holds a substantive office on a P.ermanent establishment. It appears that the Madras Government, when transferring the appellant in order to appoint a member of the Indian
Administrative Service as I.G.R. consequent on that post being
included in the cadre of the Indian Administrative Service, lost
sight of the fact that this transfer would involve loss of lien on a
permanent post by the appellant.
The subsequent orders have,
however, clearly rectified this error. By the Order dated 6th June,
1964, the first step was taken of keeping the earlier existing temporary post of Accommodation Controlle·r, Madras, in abeyance
with effect from 6th February, 1964, the date on which the appellant took charge of that post, and, instead, another temporary
post of Acconunodation Controller, Madras, was created in the
scale of pay which was applicable to the post of I.G.R. . Later on,
while the appeals were pending is the High Court, the Govern·
ment sent a letter conveying their decision to create a superuume·
rary post of f.G.R. in the State Service with effect from 11th
November, 1963 in order to protect the rights of the appellant.
'634
SUPJ.EMI COURT llBPOllTS
(1967] 3 S.C.R.
A supernumerary post of Additional Inspector-G\lncral of Registration was in fact created by the Order dated 6th October, 1966,
with effect from 11-11-1963. That Order was iater superseded
by the Order dated 10th February, 1967, which conveyed Government's sanction to the creation of a supernumerary post of I.G.R.
in the State Service not borne on the Indian Civil Administrati w
Cadre in the scale of pay which the appellant was drawing when
he was holding the post of I.G.R. which was placed in the cadre
of the Indian Administrative Service.
This supernumerary post
was created with effect from 11-11-1963 and it was laid down that
it would exist until such time as the appellant was confirmed· in
another post.
The appellant was thus provided a lien on this
supernumerary post of J.G.R. in the State Service. On behalf of
the appellant, it was urged that the supernumerary post of I.G.R.
is a temporary post, and the fact that the Government has placed
his lien on this post does not protect his rights to pension.
On
behalf of the Government, the reply is that the supernumerary post
of I.G.R. is a permanent post and not a temporary post. In Rule
9(22) of the Fundamental Rules of the Madras Government. a
permanent post is defined to mean a post carrying a definite rate
of pay sanctioned wthout limit of time, while, under Rule 9(30),
a temporary post is defined to mean a post carrying a definite
rate of pay sanctioned for a limited time. The supernumerary
post of I.G.R. created by the Order of the Government dated 10th
February, 1967, is not for a limited time.
The post has been
·created for an indefinite period and is to continue in existence as
Jong as the appellant holds that post and is not confirmed in any
other permanent post.
This supernumerary post of I.G.R.
is.
thus, clearly covered by the definition of permanent post, so that
the appellant now holds lien on a permanent post and, consequently, satisfies the second condition for qualifying for pension laid
down in Rule 361 of the Madras Pension Code, mentioned above.
There is, therefore, no force in the submission that the Orders
made by the Government have resulted in any punishment being
inflicted on the appellant by prejudicing his rights to pension and
gratuity.
The last point urged by learned counsel was that the post
of I.G.R. has been placed in the cadre of the Indian Administrative Service in the State of Madras only and in no other
State and, as a consequence, the appellant lost his appointment
to that post due to the unequal treatment mete4 out by. t~e
Government of India. Under Rule 4 (1) of the Indian Admmtstrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, framed under
t~«'. All
India Services Act 61 of 1951, the strength and compos1tton of
the Cadre of the Indian Administrative Service constituted for a
State are to be detennined by regulations made by the Central
Government in consultation with the State Government concernB
c
D
E
F
G
H
GOPAUL v. UNION (Bhargava., J.)
635
A
ed.
Rule 4(2) lays down that the Central Government shall,
at the interval of every three years,
re-examine
the strength
and composition of each such cadre in consultation with the
State 'Government concerned. It was as a result of re-examination in the year 1963 that the Central Government declared the
post of I.G.R. as well as a number of other posts as cadre posts
8
of the Indian Administrative Service in consultation with the
Madras Govenunent. When such re-examination takes place,
the circumstances and conditions existing in a particular State
have to be taken into account. It is not necessary that similar
posts in all States in India must all be placed in the same cadre.
Depending on the conditions brought to the notice of the Central
Government, the Government may consider it desirable that a
C
particular post in c:me State should be placed on the Cadre of
the Indian Administrative Service, whereas, in another State, it
may not be considered advisable to do so. On behalf of the
appellant, Volume II of the Hand Book of Rules and Regulations for the All India Services was brought to our notice. The
D
edition corrected up to 1st September, 1962 showed the posts
fn the various States placed on the Cadre of the Indian Administrative Service.
These Rules certainly do not show that
the post of I.G.R. is any State was in the cadre of the Indian
Administrative Service in that year; but. a comparison of the
various lists shows that there are some posts which, in some of
the States, are borne on the Cadre of the Indian Administrative
Service, where as they are not included in that Cadre in other
States. Clearly, there can be no uniformity between different
States .in the matter of . determining the strength and the . composition of the Cadre of the Indian Administrative Service in all
the States.
The submission that we should bold the order of
the Union Government as void on the ground of discrimination
between different States bas, therefore, no force and must be
r
rejected.
G
The appeal, consequently, fails and is dismissed, but, in the
circumstances of the case, we direct parties to bear their own
costs.
R.K.P.S.
Appeal dismissed.