The Chairman And Managing Director vs Sharika P S
2025 Latest Caselaw 473 Ker

Kerala High Court

The Chairman And Managing Director vs Sharika P S on 2 July, 2025

  ​W.A.No​​.166 of 2025​              ​1​        2025:KER:47556​
                                                 ​


               IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM​
               ​

                                    PRESENT​
                                    ​

    THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE SUSHRUT ARVIND DHARMADHIKARI​
    ​

                                        &​
                                        ​

              THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SYAM KUMAR V.M.​
              ​

                   ND​
                   ​
   WEDNESDAY, THE 2​
   ​                   DAY OF JULY 2025 / 11TH ASHADHA,​​
                       ​                                1947​

                           WA NO. 166 OF 2025​
                           ​

AGAINST THE JUDGMENT DATED 18.12.2024 IN WP(C) NO.11761 OF​
​

                     2024 OF HIGH COURT OF KERALA​
                     ​

  APPELLANT/2ND RESPONDENT:​

​

​HE CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR​ T KERALA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION,​ ​ TRANSPORT BHAVAN, FORT,​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,​ ​ PIN - 695023​ ​

​Y ADVS.​ B SHRI.DEEPU THANKAN​ ​ SMT.UMMUL FIDA​ ​ SMT.LAKSHMI SREEDHAR​ ​ SMT.LEKSHMI P. NAIR​ ​ SMT.VINEETHA BOSE​ ​ SMT.CINDIA S.​ ​ SMT.GAYATHRI G.​ ​

​ESPONDENTS/PETITIONERS AND 1ST AND​ R 3RD RESPONDENTS:​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.166 of 2025​ ​2​ 2025:KER:47556​ ​

1​ ​ ​HARIKA P S​ S AGED 39 YEARS​ ​ W/O HARSHA KUMAR T K, CHANDRIKA BHAVAN,​ ​ NETTATHANI, MULLUR P.O,​ ​ THIRUVANATHAPURAM, PIN - 695521​ ​

2​ ​ ​HINE R.S​ S AGED 39 YEARS​ ​ S/O RAVEENDRAN, THUSHARA BHAVAN MANJAPPARA,​ ​ THOLIKKUZHI P.O, THIRUVANATHAPURAM,​ ​ PIN - 695612​ ​

3​ ​ ​INESH S V​ J AGED 41 YEARS​ ​ S/O N SASIDHARAN PILLAI, V S BHAVAN​ ​ MALAYAMADOM, KILIMANOOR P.O,​ ​ THIRUVANATHAPURAM, PIN - 695601​ ​

4​ ​ ​TATE OF KERALA​ S REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY,​ ​ TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT​ ​ SECRETARIAT,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,​ ​ PIN - 695001​ ​

5​ ​ ​ERALA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION​ K REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY,​ ​ O/O. THE KERALA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION,​ ​ PATTOM PALACE P.O, THIRUVANATHAPURAM,​ ​ PIN - 695004​ ​

​Y ADVS.​ B SRI.P.SATHEESH KUMAR (S 3441)​ ​ SRI.P.C.SASIDHARAN​ ​ SHRI.ADARSH S.​ ​ SMT.KARTHIKA S.A.​ ​ SRI.SUNIL KUMAR KURIAKOSE - GP​ ​

THIS​ ​ ​ WRIT​ ​ APPEAL​​ HAVING​​ BEEN​​ FINALLY​​ HEARD​​ ON​​ 23.06.2025,​ THE COURT ON 02.07.2025 DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.166 of 2025​ ​3​ 2025:KER:47556​ ​

​JUDGMENT​

​Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, J.​

​The​​present​​intra​​court​​appeal​​under​​Section​​5​​of​​the​​Kerala​​High​

​Court​ ​Act,​ ​1958,​ ​assails​ ​the​ ​judgment​ ​dated​ ​18.12.2024​ ​passed​ ​in​

​W.P(C)No.11761​ ​of​ ​2024,​ ​whereby​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​has​

​disposed​ ​of​ ​the​ ​writ​​petition​​with​​a​​direction​​to​​respondents​​1​​to​​3​​to​

​move​ ​fresh​ ​application​ ​within​ ​a​ ​period​ ​of​ ​one​ ​week​ ​from​ ​today​ ​for​

​temporary​ ​appointment​ ​and​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​shall​ ​consider​ ​the​ ​same​

​and​​offer​​them​​appointments​​on​​temporary​​basis​​as​​per​​their​​seniority​

​in​​the​​rank​​list.​​The​​appellant​​herein​​is​​the​​2nd​​respondent​​in​​the​​writ​

​petition and respondents 1 to 3 are the petitioners in the writ petition.​

​2.​ ​The​ ​brief​ ​facts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​case​ ​are​ ​that​ ​respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​are​

​included​ ​in​ ​the​ ​rank​ ​list​ ​published​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Kerala​ ​Public​ ​Service​

​Commission​​(PSC),​​the​​4th​​respondent​​herein,​​to​​the​​post​​of​​Reserve​

​Conductor​​in​​the​​Kerala​​State​​Road​​Transport​​Corporation​​(KSRTC).​

​However,​ ​they​​were​​not​​advised​​by​​the​​PSC​​before​​the​​expiry​​of​​the​

​rank​ ​list.​ ​Due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​financial​​constraints,​​the​​KSRTC​​decided​​not​​to​

​fill​ ​up​ ​any​ ​post​ ​on​ ​regular​ ​basis​ ​and​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​fill​ ​up​ ​the​ ​posts​

​purely​ ​on​ ​temporary​ ​basis.​ ​Based​ ​on​ ​the​ ​judgment​ ​of​ ​this​ ​Court,​ ​W.A.No​​.166 of 2025​ ​4​ 2025:KER:47556​ ​

​Ext.P3​ ​notification​ ​for​ ​temporary​ ​appointments​ ​was​ ​invited​ ​by​ ​the​

​KSRTC​​from​​the​​persons​​included​​in​​the​​expired​​rank​​list​​of​​the​​PSC.​

​Respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​alleged​ ​that​ ​as​​the​​notification​​was​​not​​properly​

​published,​ ​they​ ​could​ ​not​ ​respond​ ​to​ ​the​ ​notification​ ​of​ ​the​ ​KSRTC​

​and​ ​therefore​ ​approached​ ​this​ ​Court​ ​seeking​ ​direction​ ​to​ ​invite​

​application​ ​for​ ​respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​and​ ​similarly​ ​placed​ ​candidates​

​who​ ​were​ ​included​ ​in​ ​the​ ​expired​ ​rank​ ​list​ ​for​ ​the​ ​post​ ​of​ ​Reserve​

​Conductors.​

​3.​ ​The​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​found​ ​that​ ​the​ ​advertisement​ ​was​

​not​ ​widely​ ​published​ ​and​ ​therefore,​ ​respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​could​ ​not​

​come​ ​to​ ​know​ ​about​ ​the​ ​advertisement​ ​offering​ ​temporary​

​appointment.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​believed​ ​that​ ​if​ ​they​ ​were​

​selected​​through​​the​​regular​​appointment​​process,​​their​​names​​would​

​appear​ ​on​ ​the​ ​rank​ ​list​ ​and​ ​they​ ​would​ ​receive​ ​appointment​ ​letters.​

​As​ ​soon​ ​as​ ​respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​came​ ​to​ ​know​ ​with​ ​regard​ ​to​ ​the​

​appointment​ ​on​ ​temporary​ ​basis,​ ​they​ ​moved​ ​an​ ​application​ ​for​

​appointment​ ​on​ ​temporary​ ​basis.​ ​However,​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​did​ ​not​

​consider​ ​their​ ​application​ ​since​ ​the​ ​select/rank​ ​list​ ​had​ ​already​

​expired,​ ​therefore,​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​has​ ​directed​ ​the​

​appellant​​to​​consider​​the​​fresh​​applications​​of​​respondents​​1​​to​​3​​and​ ​W.A.No​​.166 of 2025​ ​5​ 2025:KER:47556​ ​

​offer​ ​them​ ​appointment​ ​on​ ​temporary​ ​basis​ ​as​ ​per​ ​their​ ​seniority​ ​in​

​the rank list.​

​4.​ ​The​ ​learned​ ​counsel​ ​for​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​submitted​​that​​they​​are​

​aggrieved​ ​by​ ​the​ ​limited​ ​portion​ ​of​ ​the​ ​direction​​wherein​​the​​learned​

​Single​ ​Judge​ ​directed​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​to​ ​offer​ ​appointments​ ​to​

​respondents​ ​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​on​ ​a​ ​temporary​ ​basis,​ ​which,​ ​according​ ​to​ ​the​

​appellant,​ ​could​ ​not​ ​have​ ​been​ ​issued.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​a​ ​mere​ ​direction​ ​to​

​consider​ ​would​ ​suffice.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​above​ ​circumstances,​ ​the​ ​last​

​paragraph of the impugned judgment deserves to be modified.​

​5.​​The​​learned​​counsel​​for​​the​​respondents​​vehemently​​opposed​

​the​​afore​​prayer​​and​​submitted​​that​​respondents​​1​​to​​3​​have​​already​

​applied​ ​for​ ​selection​ ​on​ ​regular​ ​basis,​ ​however,​ ​due​ ​to​ ​financial​

​constraints,​ ​the​ ​KSRTC​ ​has​ ​taken​ ​a​ ​decision​ ​to​ ​appoint​ ​Reserve​

​Conductors​​on​​temporary​​basis​​and​​not​​on​​regular​​basis.​​Since​​there​

​was​​no​​proper​​publication​​of​​the​​advertisement,​​they​​could​​not​​apply​

​for​ ​temporary​ ​appointments,​ ​in​ ​spite​ ​of​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​they​ ​are​ ​the​

​candidates seeking regular appointments.​

​6.​ ​Heard​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​counsel​ ​for​ ​the​ ​parties​ ​and​ ​perused​ ​the​

​records.​ ​W.A.No​​.166 of 2025​ ​6​ 2025:KER:47556​ ​

​7.​ ​We​ ​find​ ​merit​ ​in​ ​the​ ​contention​ ​of​ ​the​ ​learned​​counsel​​for​​the​

​appellant​ ​that​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​could​ ​not​ ​have​ ​directed​ ​the​

​appellant​ ​to​ ​offer​ ​appointment,​ ​but​ ​could​ ​only​​have​​directed​​that​​the​

​applications be considered in accordance with law.​

​8.​ ​In​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​aforesaid,​ ​the​ ​judgment​ ​passed​ ​by​ ​the​​learned​

​Single​ ​Judge​ ​is​ ​modified​ ​to​ ​the​ ​extent​ ​that​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​shall​

​consider​​the​​application​​of​​respondents​​1​​to​​3​​in​​accordance​​with​​law​

​and​​if​​found​​eligible,​​respondents​​1​​to​​3​​shall​​be​​given​​appointments​

​on​ ​temporary​ ​basis​ ​as​ ​per​ ​their​ ​seniority​ ​in​ ​the​ ​rank​ ​list.​ ​The​

​judgment​ ​dated​ ​18.12.2024​ ​shall​ ​be​ ​read​ ​in​ ​conjunction​ ​with​ ​this​

​order.​

​With​ ​the​ ​aforesaid​ ​modification,​​this​​writ​​appeal​​stands​​disposed​

​of.​

​Sd/-​

SUSHRUT ARVIND DHARMADHIKARI​ ​ JUDGE​ ​

​ d/-​ S SYAM KUMAR V.M.​ ​ JUDGE​ ​ MC/30.6​ ​