HC grants status quo on MAT orders

Aurangabad, April 27:

Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice S V Gangapurwala and Justice S D Kulkarni granted status quo on the promotion of Mandal officer Shankar Ramlal Rathod till further hearing.

The court has also issued directives to serve notice to the principal secretary of Revenue and Forest Department, divisional commissioner, Parbhani District Collector, Resident District College and Yashwant Sodgir.

The next hearing has been placed on June 17, 2021.

Petitioner Rathod is a Mandal officer at Makhni in Gangakhed tehsil of Parbhani district.

The District Selection Committee meeting held in Mumbai on March 5, 2021, prepared a revised seniority list of Talathis as per the directives of Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT). In the list, Rathod’s place is on 365.

As per the directives of MAT of the year 2017, those Talathis who qualified Duyyam Seve Examination in four attempts or in three years department-wise is eligible for promotion as Mandal officer. It was also mentioned in the orders that the name of those who qualified the examinations in the given deadline should be given a place on the top of the seniority list. The petitioner had qualified the examinations in 2002 while he was given a promotion in 2017 as a Mandal officer. The three-member of MAT bench (Mumbai) demoted Rathod on March 12, 2021, while Yashwant Sodgir, who is junior to the petitioner, was given promotion.

Rathod filed a petition in the HC through adv Siddheshwar Thombre to challenge the decision of MAT.

Assistant Government pleader Yavalkar is representing the government.