April 25: The Bombay High Court recently ordered the demotion of 29 deputy engineers of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), who had been promoted ahead of their seniors in 1996.Sudhir Gaikwad and seven other junior engineers of the Thane civic body filed a writ petition in HC in 1996 challenging the abrupt promotion of 29 junior engineers to the rank of deputy engineers made by the then municipal commissioner I P Dhange.
The petitioners, all of whom possessed a degree in engineering, said that those promoted by the commissioner were diploma-holders and therefore junior to them. Yet they had been promoted without consideration of seniority levels, the petitioners said.
The petition said the commissioner prepared a seniority list of engineers which comprised only those holding diploma certificates. This list was a breach of promotion rules, since junior engineers with a diploma were preferred over those with a degree, they held.
The petitioners said an engineer with a bachelor's degree had moreknowledge. This was supported by the fact that a degree in engineering was obtained 4-5 years after HSC, while a diploma could be had three years after matriculation, they said.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.