R. Chandra Prakash S/O R. Chennappa v. A.P. Transco., Repby Its Chairman And Managing Director,

HON'BLE THE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE RAMESH RANGANATHAN WRIT PETITION No.12136 OF 2007 ORDER:

The relief sought for in this Writ Petition is to direct the respondent to consider the case of the petitioner as Junior Lineman in the 2nd respondent Corporation exempting him from the pole climbing test. The petitioner was called for recruitment in the year 2007, and his candidature was rejected on the ground that he was unable to climb the pole.

While Smt. K. Sesharajyam, Learned Counsel for the petitioner, would request this Court to give the petitioner another opportunity to now climb the pole, and be considered for appointment as a lineman, Sri R. Vinod Reddy, Learned Standing Counsel for the respondent corporation, would submit that the petitioner must now be aged around forty years; the upper age limit for recruitment is 35 years; and, having failed to complete the pole climbing test in the year 2007, it is not now open to the petitioner to seek permission to undergo such a test, and be considered for selection.

Having appeared and failed in the pole climbing test which is the basic eligibility test for being considered for appointment as a lineman with the Transmission Corporation, the petitioner cannot now be heard to contend that he should be given another opportunity, that too nine years after he had failed in the earlier test. In any event, as submitted by Sri R. Vinod Reddy, Learned Standing Counsel, the upper age limit for recruitment in the Corporation is 35 years, and the petitioner must now be around 40 years of age. I see no reason, therefore, to grant the petitioner the relief sought for in the Writ Petition.

The Writ Petition fails and is, accordingly, dismissed. The miscellaneous petitions pending, if any, shall also stand dismissed. No costs.

________________________________ RAMESH RANGANATHAN, ACJ Date: 17.09.2016 MRKR