Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 3: The high court today directed the state to regularise the services of daily rated workers who have completed seven years of service in government departments.
The court directive came in a petition filed by a daily rated worker who claimed to have been appointed in PHE department in 1992. The respondents, however, disputed his claim, stating that he was engaged in 1996.
He had sought benefit of appointment on the ground that 50 pc of the agricultural land belonging to his family was acquired by the respondents in 1992 for construction of a tubewell. He said he was entitled for appointment on the basis of SRO 181 of 1988. Then PHE chief engineer had, however, rejected his plea vide his May 8, 2002 letter, saying that he had donated the land voluntarily and it was less than 50 pc of his total land. He said the petitioner was not eligible for appointment as SRO 181 was withdrawn in 1991 while the land was acquired in 1992. The objection of the respondents appeared to be justified as SRO 181 had come with a shelf life and that period had already expired. So the petitioner was not qualified as the land was donated subsequently and he did not fall within that criteria. The alternate prayer of the petitioner was that he should be considered for regularisation in terms of J&K Daily Rated Workers (Regularisation) Rules, 1994 notified vide SRO 64 and in terms of government order dated November 6, 2001, wherein it was accorded that those who were engaged prior to January 31, 1991 were eligible for regularisation after completing seven years of continuous service.
Justice Sudhakar, after hearing both the sides, disposed of the petition with a direction to the respondents to regularise the petitioner's services on completion of seven years of continuous service. --(JNF) |
