- (1.) This appeal deals with the promotion given by the first respondent to the respondent No. 3 to the post of Head of Section, Ceramics in a Government Polytechnic. There is no dispute that this is a single post. The first respondent, however, applied the roster relating to reservations to this post. Hence although the appellant was the senior-most person eligible for promotion to that post, he was not appointed. Instead, respondent No. 3, who was junior to him, but who belonged to the Scheduled Caste category was appointed since on the roster point, the vacancy was reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate.
(2.) The Karnataka Administrative Tribunal in the impugned judgment proceeded on the basis that since this was a promotional post, all promotional vacancies would have to be rotated in accordance with the roster. Hence the promotion of respondent No. 3 to the post of Head of Section, Ceramics, was a valid appointment.
(3.) The Constitution Bench of this Court in the case of Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh v. Faculty Association, JT 1998 (3) SC 223, has held, after discussing all decisions on this question, that: "In a single post cadre, reservation at any point of time on account of rotation or roster is bound to bring about a situation where such single post in the cadre will be kept reserved exclusively for the members of the backward classes and in total exclusion of the general members of the public. Such total exclusion of general members of the public and cent per cent reservation for the background (backward) classes is not permitted within the constitutional framework." ;