PANJIM: Setting aside termination of services of six employees of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Friday ordered the Board to reinstate them and pay them consequential benefits including arrears of salary from July 2013.
Six employees namely Payal Baadkar of Betabatim, Luiza Ferrao e Fracias of Loutolim, Rowena Fernandes of Vasco, Fransquinha Fernandes, Soneya Borges, Clemy Rodreigues e Quadros, all from Nuvem had filed a writ petition challenging the orders of termination from service dated November 27, 2014 by the GSPCB, claiming that it was illegal and was without following the due process of law.
Similarly, the petitioners had also challenged the decision of the GSPCB dated August 19, 2014 to abolish the posts which they were employed, on the ground that such abolition was with malafide and with the intention only to prevent them from reinstatement in case the petition was allowed.
The six petitioners were posted to the post of ‘Scientific Assistant (chemical), Senior Laboratory Assistants and Junior Laboratory Assistants.
The Division bench comprising Justice Prakash Naik and B P Deshpande also rejected the GSPCB counsel’s request to stay the order in order to challenge the same before the higher court, stating that petitioners have been kept away from the posts for more than 10 years.
In 2013, the government appointed retired Joint Secretary (Personnel), D M Borkar as inquiry officer to inquire into the allegations made by one of the candidates, who was not selected, regarding illegalities, irregularities and manipulations in the appointments made by GSPCB in 2012.
The inquiry officer found that the petitioners were not eligible in the select list and accordingly observed that their placement in the merit list was erroneous.
