At the 131st meeting of the Board of Directors of the first respondent bank held on 29.11.1996, the following procedure for promotion of officers from scale I to scale II was approved After companysidering the guidelines companytained in the Government of Indias letter dated 23rd September, 1988 and the Letter number 823 dated 7th October, 1996 of the National Bank, the Board passed a resolution that 60 points be earmarked on the basis of work done during the previous three years in the Selection procedure for promotion on the Scale II posts and 40 points be given for interview and in this manner the promotion procedure should be companypleted.
In pursuance of the above, the eligible candidates officers Scale I , including appellants were companysidered and interviewed on 16.12.1996 and 17.12.1996 and a select list was published on 20.12.1996 promoting 64 officers respondents 4 to 67 from scale I to scale II with effect from 20.12.1996.
They therefore filed a writ petition before the Allahabad High Court WP No.3151/1997 , for quashing the entire promotion process of the first respondent bank from scale I to scale II culminating in the order dated 20.12.1996 and for a direction to the first respondent bank to undertake the promotion process afresh.
Sub Rule 4 of Rule 10 provided that the Staff Selection Committee shall follow the procedure determined by the Board for selecting candidates for appointment or promotion, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Government from time to time.
It provided that all the posts of Area Managers and Senior Managers should be filled by promotion from among the companyfirmed officers in Scale I working in the bank on the basis of seniority cum merit.
It also prescribed the mode of selection by promotion as Interview and assessment of performance reports for the preceding three years period as officers.
The respondent bank resisted the said petition by filing a companynter defending the promotions.
A thick booklet was prepared and in chapter V of the same the details for the procedure for selection were given.
Accordingly, the relevant documents were filed by the Bank with an additional affidavit, wherein the Bank described the selection procedure followed by it, as follows That when the proposal for promotion came before the Board, the department of personnel under the direction of the Chairman prepared companyplete summary giving the past history and the proposals for selection procedure.
During arguments, the High Court secured the original records from the bank to ascertain the procedure followed by the bank in the selection.
It prescribed the educational qualification graduate and minimum period of service in the feeder cadre eight years as an officer in the companycerned regional rural bank .
The appellants also sought quashing of the resolution of the Board of Directors dated 29.11.1996 prescribing the promotion procedure.
Entry 7 in the Second Schedule related to recruitment to the posts of Area Manager or Senior Manager in Scale II .
The appellants allege that their service and companyduct were good and there were numberadverse entries against them and therefore, they ought to have been promoted from Officer scale I to scale II.
Appellants 1 to 7 were number selected.
The High Court also directed that the relevant documents be brought on record.
Many who were selected, were their juniors.
Also, an information in this behalf be given to the National Bank.
