Regularisation of contractual employees challenged

Chennai, Aug 2 2010 (PTI): The State Bank of India's move to regularise the services of nearly 7000 persons appointed on contract basis was challenged in the Madras High Court today. When a writ petition in the matter came up before Justice V Ramasubramanian, he ordered that the matter be adjourned to August 4, subject to the outcome of the petition. In his petition, B Jayakumar of Coimbatore submitted he was a B.E.(Mechanical) graduate and was appointed as Customer Relationship Associate in clerical cadre in SBI in March 2008 in pursuance of a May 2007 notification and after an exam. He had put in more than two years of service in the management and was eligible for promotion as Trainee Officer.He also had the requisite qualification. The petitioner said SBI sought to absorb those appointed on contract to Junior Management Grade Scale (JMGS)-1, overlooking eligibility of persons like him. Jayakumar pointed out that the Supreme Court had time and again held that backdoor entry into any service was liable to be prohibited. He said SBI started recruiting employees directly to marketing and recovery sections in 2004 on the basis of special contract service rules.The bank's present action would affect promotion prospects of clerical staff recruited after five-level selection processes, whereas contract staff were hired merely through an interview, he said. The petitioner said the bank's action was tainted with malafide.