Unrecognised qualification and reversion to LDC upheld where Prathma equivalence had been withdrawn before the relevant promotion year.

Promotion to LDC was held unsustainable where the petitioners lacked the requisite recognised qualification at the time of promotion. Prathma had ceased to be recognised by the State Government from 1 April 1985, and the larger bench ruling treating Prathma as equivalent to Secondary applied only to vacancies arising before that date. As the petitioners were promoted for 1995-96, the exception did not apply, and the challenge to the reversion order failed.

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Issues: Whether the petitioners were entitled to challenge their reversion to the post of LDC on the ground that they did not possess the requisite recognised qualification at the time of promotion.

Analysis: The petitioners had been promoted for the year 1995-96, by which time the qualification of Prathma had ceased to be recognised by the State Government. The impugned reversion order was based on the larger bench decision holding that Prathma could not be treated as equivalent to Secondary after the withdrawal of recognition with effect from 1.4.1985. The exception noted by the larger bench applied only to vacancies arising prior to that date, which was not the position in the present case.

Conclusion: The challenge to reversion failed and the writ petition was dismissed.

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