- (1.) THE petitioner, a representative Union of the employees of Bihar State Electricity Board (the Board) has challenged the direction issued by respondent No. 4 the Deputy Director, (Personnel). Patratu Thermal Power Station (shortly PTPS) calling upon 126 employees of the Board to undergo medical examination for verification of their respective ages and in order to ascertain the correct date of birth. Copies of such direction issued to the employees of the petitioner - union, have been annexed as Annexure 1 series to the writ application.
(2.) PETITIONERS case is that those 126 employees who have been short listed and directed to undergo such medical examination have been working for the last 20 -35 years and only It is at the verge of retirement, they have been directed to undergo medical examination although the date of birth of these employees have been duly recorded in the service records at the time of employment. The stand of the respondents, in the counter affidavit, is that on receipt of information from rellable sources that the date of birth appearing in the service books of the workmen have been tempered and over -written and even the original service books have been removed, the respondent -Board constituted a Committee to examine the discrepancies in the date of birth of the workmen. The Committee visited PTPS and examined the service books of the workmen and submitted a report to the effect that there is large number of cases where rnanipula -tion/over -writing has been made in the dates of birth in the service records. On the basis of the said report the members of the petitioner - Union, have been t:alled upon to undergo medical examination.
(3.) I have heard Mr. A.K. Sinha, learned Sr. Counsel for the petitioner and Mrs. Indrani sen Choudhary, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondents -Board.;