Pramod K. Pankaj vs State Of Bihar And Ors on 20 November, 2003
9. Mr. Pujara has assailed the judgment of the learned Single Judge. In the submission of Mr. Pujara the learned Single Judge has failed to appreciate the matter at dispute and has wrongly dismissed the petition preferred by the appellants. He has submitted that it is true that Rule 14 of the Rules of 1969 and Rule 22 of the Rules of 1974 govern the interse seniority of the Rangers who pass the examination in the same batch. He has submitted that in absence of any rule to the contrary the selected candidate passing the Rangers Course earlier and appointed earlier shall get the seniority over the later batch on the principle of continuous officiation. He has submitted that considering the said universal principle of seniority the appellants who were appointed in the month of February, 1981 and who had joined the service in the month of March, 1981 should get the placement above the contesting respondents who were appointed as Rangers later and who joined the service as Rangers later. In support of his submissions, Mr. Pujara has relied upon the judgments of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the matters of Suraj Parkash Gupta and Ors. etc. v. State of Jammu and Kashmir and Ors. ; of Pramod K. Pankaj v. State of Bihar and Ors. ; of Prafulla Kumar Swain v. Prakash Chandra Misra and Ors. 1993 Supp.