CHABUNGBAM THOIBISANA DEVI Vs. STATE OF MANIPUR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. S. Biswajit, learned senior counsel and Mr. Serto T. Kom, learned counsel appearing for the petitioners; Mr. Niranjan Sanasam, learned Government Advocate appearing for the State and Ms. Ayangleima, learned counsel appearing for private respondents.

(2.) The annexures mentioned in this judgment are from the writ petition WP(C) No. 594 of 2022 for easy reference. Since both these writ petitions pertain to the same impugned order, they are being disposed of by this common judgment. Factual matrix of the case in a nutshell is that the present petitioners were initially appointed as Assistant Public Prosecutor-cum- Assistant Government Advocate on contract basis for a period of 1 (one) year vide order dtd. 20/12/2005 issued by Secretary (Law), Government of Manipur (Annexure - A/1) wherein the petitioners appeared at Sl. No. 2 and Sl. No. 3 and services of the petitioners were extended from time to time by the competent authority till December, 2016 (Annexure- A/2). Regarding appointment of the said post, the Secretary (Law), Government substantiated through Local Newspaper (Naharolgi Thoudang) vide publication dtd. 3/1/2006 (Annexure - A/3) whereby reporting that the afore-referred appointment did not suffer from any irregularity as the recruitment was conducted through an advertisement inviting applications from eligible advocates either through All Manipur Bar Association or Law Department, Government of Manipur.

(3.) Vide order dtd. 2/12/2016 issued by the Secretary (Law), Government of Manipur (Annexure- A/4), the petitioners were appointed on regular basis along with 13 (thirteen) others by regularizing their past contract services and on the very same day, 6 (six) other APP-cum-AGA were also made regular appointment by regularizing their past contract services.In the said appointment order, the petitioners in W.P.(C) No. 594 of 2022 and W.P.(C) No. 600 of 2022 were placed at Sl. No.1 and Sl. No. 2 respectively and as per the decisions made by the State Cabinet dtd. 4/8/2016 and 7/11/2016. The order was also made as one time measure which was issued by the Department of Personal and Administrative Reforms (Personal Division),Government of Manipur dtd. 22/11/2026.