K. Jagannatha Shetty, J. - (1.) Special Leave granted.
(2.) The Central Administrative Tribunal by the judgment under appeal has allowed selection grade of Rs. 1700-2000 to the respondent who is a Sub-Divisional Engineer. He was originally a Junior Engineer (Electrical) in the Central Public Works Department of Government of India. On 16th September, 1976, he was selected as Assistant Engineer (Electrical) by the Chandigarh Administration. The post of the Assistant Engineer is also termed Sub-Divisional Engineer. He claimed selection grade admissible to his post under the guidelines issued by the Chandigarh Administration. The relevant extract of the guidelines reads as follows: "Selection grade will not be admissible to an officer unless he has completed 15 years service. The service should either be in the basic scale where appointment to the basic scale is from the point of fresh entry into service or as the sum total of the employees service in the basic scale and in the one scale. next below."
(3.) The department rejected the claim on the ground that he did not complete fifteen years service in the post of Assistant Engineer. But the Tribunal has stated that the respondent is entitled to count the sum total of his service rendered as Junior Engineer in the C.P.W.D. and also in the post of Assistant Engineer/ Sub-Divisional Engineer in the Chandigarh Administration. The selection grade. has to be given on the basis of experience and the applicant has gained the requisite experience of fifteen. years and as such he is entitled to the selection grade.;