The Supreme Court’s directive on Monday on revising the seniority list seems to have come as a setback to the government.
This would mean that when the seniority lists are published and implemented by various departments over the next few months, a large number SC/ST officials would face demotion, as promotions of general category employees are effected.
Coming as it does, close to the Assembly elections, this leaves the government in a tricky position.
Both the Houses had passed the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the basis of Reservation (to the posts in the civil services of the State) Bill, 2017, to protect the service interests of SC/ST officials. This is currently awaiting the President’s approval.
‘No setback’
Responding to the development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said that the government will implement the Supreme Court directive within the stipulated time. He, however, claimed that it was not a setback to the government since the Bill is awaiting the President’s nod.
A senior official in Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms said that the government had also cited the Bill awaiting President’s nod and sought time to finalise the seniority list.
While the government had asked for three months time to publish the seniority list, the court has given time only till March 15 for the government to complete the process.
The official said that nearly 85% of the departments have finalised the seniority list, and it would be ready in a couple of weeks. “Some departments are in the final stages of revising the seniority list,” the official said.
Meanwhile, welcoming the decision, T.M. Shivaprakash, president of KPTCL General Category Employees Association, said: “The directive has been a good relief for general category employees and it is a major setback to the government. It is deliberately delaying the announcement of the seniority list after the Supreme Court ordered it to do so last year.”
Now the onus is on the government to complete it in the stipulated time. “We are hoping that there will not be any further delay in this,” he added.
