The High Court of Bombay at Goa quashed and set aside the existing seniority list of Police Inspectors (PIs) dated March 23, 2023 and directed the Police Establishment Board (PEB) to revise the seniority list within a period of next three months.
As many as 16 PIs had challenged the final seniority list dated March 23, 2023 as they were shown below the PIs of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn) when they were promoted way back in 2011 and 2012.
The Court found that the petitioners were entitled for proper placement in the final seniority list published vide Memorandum dated 23-03-2023 and the respondents shall rectify the said seniority list by assigning appropriate date of promotion to them, which shall be the date on which each of the petitioners were promoted on recommendation of the PEB to the post of PI, the court said.
The petitioners were recruited as PSIs on April 16, 2002.
Earlier, the High Court had quashed and set aside the selection of 31 PSIs which included the petitioenrs. But the petitioners filed a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court and during the pendency of the SLP, and since they were issue orders of appointment to the post of PSIs, the PEB promoted them as PIs on adhoc basis as 52 posts of PSIs were vavant and it was necessary to have the manpower to keep the Goa Police department running.
On August 16, 2017 the Supreme Court allowed the SLP filed by the petitions and set aside the order of the High Court.
At this stage between October 8, 2012 and June 13, 2016 several PSIs were promoted on adhoc basis to the post of PIs. Various posts of PIs were also filled from IRBn category on October 12, 2016 and the petitioners contested their placement higher in the seniority list as they were appointed on October 12, 2016.
On March 23, 2023 the final seniority list was published where the petitioners were shown to be appointed on January 17, 2019 and found their placement below the PIs of IRBn, who were shown to be regular appointees to the post of PIs on October 12, 2016.