JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Monday extended its stay on a Karnataka Public Service Commission notification stipulating conditions including new reservation policy for appointment of engineers.
The notification issued by the KPSC on August 28, this year allegedly put hundreds of those working on ad hoc basis since 1993 in the risk of losing their absorption.
A bench of Justices J S Khehar and Arun Mishra allowed a plea made by senior advocate K V Viswanathan, representing the Karnataka government and advocate S N Bhat, representing the KPSC, for grant of time to file their responses.
Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani filed the petition on behalf of some of the 417 assistant/junior Engineers who were appointed on ad hoc/ contract basis in 1993-94 by the Karnataka government in the Upper Krishna Project. The court, which had earlier stayed the publication of final list of candidates, said that its interim order would continue till December 10, the next date of hearing.
The petitioners claimed that the notification dated 25-8-2014 provided for awarding grace marks for contract engineers (land lost category) who have been appointed, worked and left the job, during the period 2002-2007.
This was in violation of the Karnataka Civil Services (Water Resource Service) (Special Recruitment of Assistants Engineers and Junior Engineers) Act 2013 which ensured protection of the services of 417 engineers (both assistant engineers and junior engineers) who were working in the post from the year 1993-1994 onwards, they contended.