Central Administrative Tribunal - Madras
K Ramachandran vs Department Of Atomic Anergy on 4 September, 2023
M.A /310/00427/203 and OA/310/00737/2023 CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL CHENNAI BENCH MA/310/00427/ 2023 AND OA/310/00737/2023 Dated Monday, the 4" day of September Two Thousand Twenty Three CORAM : HON'BLE MRS. LATA BASWARAJ PATNE, MEMBER (J) AND HON'BLE MR. VARUN SINDHU KUL KAUMUDI,MEMBER(A) 1.K. Ramachandran, IC No.4486 2,A.Sekar [C_No.3313 3.K.H.Mahendran,IC.No.4048 4,G,Punitha [C.No.5690 5.T.S.Selvakumaran IC No.5141 6.M.Arulanandam,IC No.3311 7.R.Krishna Prabhu.IC No.3375 8. V.Sridharan IC.No.5680 9.P.V.Salim IC.No.3306 10.8. Kandasamy,IC.No.3829 11.R.Kabali IC.No.3406 12.R.Sekar IC_No.4472 13.R. Krishnan IC.No.5074 14.L.5. Vaidhyanathan IC.No.5372 15.N.Gopalakrishnan IC.No.4593 16.N. Balakrishnan [C.No.5125 17.R.Babu IC.No.3675 18.K.E.Jebakumar IC.No.4687 19,Usharani Ravi IC.No.3201 M.A /310/00427/203 and GA/310/00737/2023 20.V.Alagudurai IC.No.4298 21.8. Iango IC.No.5281 22.N.Sampath Kumr,IC No.4464 Lobe ee eee 23.R.Sritharan,IC.No.5864 24.P Magudapathy IC.No.4318 25.A.Ramamoorthy,IC.No.4423 . 26.B.V.Chandramouli IC.No.3288 27.K_Bhanumurthy IC.No.4462 28.N.P.Seshadressan IC.No.3385 29.8 Nalini IC.No.3826 30.T.N.Sairam IC.No.5591 31.G,Mangamma IC.No. 5440 32.K.Gireesan IC.INo.5755 33.Premila Mohanakrishnan IC.No.5130 34.Tom Mathews, IC.No.5595 | 35.V. Thomas Paul IC.No.5161 36,S.Latha IC.No.4106 37.K4.Perumal, IC.No.4600 38.8.Domesan IC.No.4439 39.R.Kandan IC.No.4718 40.M.Babu IC.No.4424 41.B.Balagopal IC.No,.3289 42.5. Kanagaraju IC.No.4347 43,.Rem Jebaraj IC.No.3955 44,Beera Suhasini [C.No.4728 45.V.Rajendran IC 6459 46,.G.Panneerselvam IC.No.4980 47.T.Ezhilarasi IC.No.5490 48.A.Bagavathsingh IC.No.6223 49,G.Irulandi [C.No.4716 50.R.Devaraj IC.No.4632 51.C.Uthayasankar IC.No.4648 52..Chandran IC.No.4979 53.G.Srinivasan IC,No.4182 54.V.Maduraimuthu IC.No.3463 55.R.Chellapandian IC.No.5620 56.P. Venkatesh IC.No.5486 57,.K.Ganesan IC.No.4616 58.S.Balasundar IC No.4795 59.M.Ravi, IC.No.4734 60.P.Ravi IC.No.4479 61.U.Mdhusoodanan IC.No.4837 62.C.N. Venkiteswaran IC.No.5394 63.R.Radhakrishnan IC.No.4984 64.P.Govindan IC.No.4645 65.Prabavathi Soundarrajan IC.No.4617 66.Janaki Jambunathan IC.No.5087 67.G. Venugopal Rao IC No.5304 68.R.Ramakrishnan IC.No.4262 6.Parimala Parthiban IC.No.3602 70.G.Raghu Kumar IC.No.4882 71.R.Raghuraman IC.No.10817 72.D.N.Krishnakumar IC.No.5856 73.E.Balu IC.No.5212 74.V.R.Naganathan IC.No.4396 75.M.Sekar IC.No.3690 76.D, Visweswaran IC.No.4458 77.A.Mani IC.No.5647 78.B.Sagayara] IC-No.51014 79.8.G.Janakar IC.No.50593 M.A /310/00427/203 and 04/3 10/00737/2023 - M.A /3.10/00427/203 and OA/3 10/00737/2023 4 80.8.Krishnamoorthy [C.No.7410 81.8. Venkatraman IC.No.7826 82.D.Johnson Samuel Jeyaraj IC.No.7762 83.B.Gowthamaputhan IC.No.7403 84.M.K.Gheevarghese IC.No.7100 $5.R.B.Anil Singh IC.No.7402 86.G.Jai Sankar IC.No.9983 87,.5.Mathusoothanan IC.No.9159 88.Sumangala R-Krishnan IC.No.9233 89.V.Subbarao IC.No.9160 90.Rengan R. Emp.No.21814 .. Applicants By Advocate M/s Anita Swain Vs. 1.The Union of India rep by its Secretary cum Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Anushakti Bhavan, CSM Marg, Mumbai --400 001. 2.The Government of India Rep. by its Secretary, Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, Dept of Pension & Pensioners Welfare, 3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market,New Delhi -- 110003. 3.The Government of India, Rep by its Secretary Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, North Block, New Delhi -- 110 031. 4.The Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Department of Atomic energy, Kalpakkam -- 603 102, Tamil Nadu. 5.The Director, General Services Organization, Department of Atomic energy, Kalpakkam -- 603 102, Tamil Nadu, India. 6.The Director, Bhabba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) 6" Floor, Central Complex, Trombay, BARC, Mumbai 400 085. 7.The Chairman, Nuclear Recycle Board, BARC, 6" Floor, Central Complex, Trombay, BARC, Mumbai 400 085. 8.Facility Director, BARC faetlities, Kalpakkam Tamil Nadu 603 102. M.A /310/00427/203 and O4/310/00737/2023 .. Respondents (Respondents 4 and 6 are plants of respondent 1 and Proforma parties/Respondents) By Advocate Mr. Su.Srinivasan, SCGSC M.A /310/00427/203 and OA/310/00737/2023 6 ORAL ORDER
(Pronounced by Hon'ble Mrs. Lata Baswaraj Patne, Member(J)) M.A.427 of 2023 is filed by the applicants numbering 90 seeking permission to join together to file a single Original Application. Accepting the reasons set forth in the affidavit filed in support of the MA, MA 427 of 2023 is allowed.
2. By this OA, the applicants have prayed for the following relief:
"to call for the records and declare the action of the respondents! and 4 to 7 in recovering the amounts from 4 each applicant from September 2020 without any notice as stated in the Annexure-I and fixing the pay and pension of applicants without adding the two additional increments by creating a cutoff date 13.06.2017 and issuing proceedings on 20.04.2023 vide OM No.4/4/2011-SCS/Vol. VIH/5182 by confirming the proceedings dated 03.08.2020 vie OM No.4/4/2011-SCS/Vol. VII/5157, for withdrawing the scheme of two additional increments in its entirety retrospectively w.e.f. 13.06.2017 is contrary to the Presidential sanction dated 3.2.1999, contrary to Kerala High-court order in W.P.(C) 29358 of 2004 & batch which obtained finality on dismissal of SLP and contrary to OA 381/2019 batch of CAT Hyderabad which was further confirmed by the Hon'ble High Court of Telangana on dismissing the WP 19010/2020 datd 06.12.2022 as illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory, unconstitutional and abuse of misuse of power and violative of Article 14 ad, 16, 21 and 300A of the Constitution of India, apart from violation of natural justice hence quash the 1* respondent's OM No.4/4/2011-SC8/Vol. VILI/S157 dated 03.08.2020 and OM No.4/4/2011-SCS/Vol.VII/5182 dated 20.04.2023, and consequently direct the 1* respondent
a) To repay the recoverd amount from the applicants as per the Annexure-] with 24% interest;
M.A /310/00427/203 and OA/310/00737/2023
b) Direct the respondent-1 to re-fix the pay and pension of applicants from 13.06.2017 by taking into accont the revised two additional increment as per the methodology issued by the Ministry i.e 3" respondent dated 1.3.2023 and consequently direct the respondents 1& 2 to release the arrears of two increments, Pay, Pension and pensionary benefits along with other consequential benefits with interest at the rate of 12% per annum with quarterly interests from the date on which the same has become due and payable till the date of actual payment.
c) Further declare that the applicants are entitled for the costs of the litigation thrust on them by the respondents by not extending the benefits as extended to other similarly situated persons by creating a cutoff date and pass such other order and further orders as are deemed fit and proper in the interest of justice."
3. When the matter is taken up for admission, learned counsel for the applicants fairly submits that all the applicants are Scientists of DAE and retired from 2017 onwards. The Govermment of India with the sanction of the President of India has provided incentives for Scientists/Engineers by giving two additional increments by issuing an OM dated 03.02.1999, Learned counsel further submits. that the said incentives were discontinued by the respondents and recovering the amounts from each applicant was ordered in the year 2020 without any notice and that too retrospectively with effect from 13.06.2017. Learned counsel also pointed out. that Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure has also issued a methodology of counting of Special Pay and two additional increments granted to Scientiss/Engineers vide their Note datd 01.03.2023 to re-fix the pay and pension of applicants.
ae y M.A /310/00427/203 and OA/310/00737/2023 8 4, On the other hand, learned cousnel for the resondents opposes the relief on the . ground that the aplicants have directly approached this Tribunal withut exhausting -- remedies available under the law.
5, Learned counsel for the applicants seeks liberty to submit comprehensive representation by the individual applicant to the competent authoriy among the respondents.
6. In view of the submissions mde by the parties, liberty is granted to the applicants. to submit their inidividual represnetations to the competent authority among the respondents within two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order, On receipt of such representations from the applicants, the respondents are directed to consider the same in accordnce with the policy / law and pass an appropriate order within:three months thereafter.
7. OAis disposed:oPas:above at the admission stage.