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.