- (1.) These two writ petitions, relating to the competing claims of seniority in the cadre of Project Engineer in the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, Gautam Buddha Nagar ('the Authority') and involving inter-related issues, have been considered together; and are taken up for disposal by this common order. In fact, the second writ petition, being Writ Petition No. 31743 of 2014 has been filed by the respondents nos. 4 & 5 of the first writ petition, being Writ Petition No. 26922 of 2014, only after passing of interim order in the first petition; and essentially in order to meet with a part of the submissions made against them. In the totality of circumstances, appropriate it is to deal with the issues involved in Writ Petition No. 26922 of 2014 at the first, as the consequences shall follow for the second petition. Writ Petition No. 26922 of 2014
(2.) The petitioner herein Shri Suresh Chand Arora, presently working as Project Engineer in the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, has preferred this writ petition on being aggrieved of the seniority list dated 09.05.2014 issued by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Authority(Annexure-13), particularly as regards his seniority placement vis-a-vis the respondents nos.4 and 5 Shri Mohd. Ishrat and Shri Samakant Srivastava; and has claimed the following reliefs:- "(i) issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of certiorari quashing the impugned seniority list dated 9.5.2014 issued by Deputy Chief Executive Officer, New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Annexure -13 to this writ petition). (ii) issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus commanding the respondents to treat the petitioner senior to the private respondent nos.4 and 5 namely S/Sri Mohd. Ishrat and Sama Kant Srivastava, on the post of Project Engineer (Civil), New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, Gautam Buddha Nagar. (iii) issue any other suitable writ, order or direction in favour of Petitioner to which this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the circumstances of this case. (iv) award the cost of this writ petition in favour of the Petitioner."
(3.) The question of seniority placement of the respondents nos.4 and 5 and the dispute as regards the seniority of the rival parties had been the subject of few rounds of litigation; and several orders one after another have also been passed by the authorities concerned. In view of the chequered history, the relevant facts and events, in their feasible chronology, could be taken note of as follows :;