I.P.MUKERJI,J. - (1.) The appellants are employees of Coal India Ltd, the respondent No.1. This organisation has many grades for its employees. The appellants are management trainees in (E-1) category. They were appointed on 5th June, 2012.
(2.) Now, under the Common Coal Cadre (CCC) out of the total vacancy in the personnel/welfare department in the E-1 cadre, (Executive Cadre) 50% of the jobs are reserved for fresh outside candidates and 50% for the departmental candidates. 50% of the vacancies in this E Cadre which are to be filled from department candidates is undertaken by a promotion/selection process conducted by the organisation. By a circular dated 8th March, 2016 Coal India Ltd. made an internal notification that the selection of the departmental candidates was to be through examination and interview. The recruitment started in the month of March, 2010 and ended in June, 2012.
(3.) While this recruitment process for the departmental candidates was kept pending from March, 2010 to June, 2012, in the year 2011, Coal India Ltd. issued an advertisement for recruitment of new candidates from the market to fill up the 50% vacancies reserved for outside candidates in the E-1 grade.;