Page No.# 1/11 GAHC010173892023 undefined THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT (HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH) Case No. : WP(C)/4592/2023 BIPUL NATH AND 23 ORS S/O - LATE DHANI RAM NATH, R/O- VILL. KAILASH NAGA (BYE LANE 1), P.O - TEZPUR, DIST - SONITPUR, ASSAM, 784001 2: BUBUL BHUYAN S/O- SRI BOPARAM BHUYAN R/O- VILL. BETANIJHAR (GOROIMARI) P.O- SALONIBARI DIST - SONITPUR ASSAM 3: NRIPENDRA HALOI S/O- SRI BISESWAR HALOI R/O- VILL- SINGIMARI (BANGALIGAON) P.O.-KACHARIGAON DIST - SONITPUR ASSAM 4: BHABEN CHANDRA SAIKIA S/O - SRI DULAL CHANDRA SAIKIA R/O- VILLAGE-RENGONIJHAR (GOROIMARI) P.O. SALONIBARI DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 5: MRIDUL DEKA S/O- LATE JADAV DEKA R/O-VILLAGE- BANGRAM P.O.-BANGRAM DISTRICT- NALBARI ASSAM 6: NIPUL CHOUDHURY Page No.# 2/11 S/O- LATE NAREN CHOUDHURY R/O-VILLAGE- SANKAR NAGAR (WEST HAZARAPAR) P.O.- TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 7: KAMAL CHANDRA DAS S/O-LATE SATYANATH DAS R/O- VILLAGE- PARBOTI NAGAR (LOHIT GOSWAMI PATH) P.O. TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 8: GHANASHYAM LASKAR S/O- OF LATE BIPIN LAHKAR R/O- VILLAGE BORPULLA P.O. BARANGHATI DISTRICT- KAMRUP ASSAM 9: BHAGYA SANGMA S/O-LATE BHUPEN SANGMA R/O- VILLAGE- PURANAKAL (KALIBARI) P.O.- KALIBARI DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 10: UTTAM SAHA S/O- AJIT SAHA R/O VILLAGE 4- HARIPATTI P.O. TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM-784001 11: RANA SUR S/O- GAURANGA SUR R/O-VILLAGE NEPALIPATTI GANESHMILL CHARIALI P.O. TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM. 12: RAMESH CHANDRA NATH S/O- LATE MANESWAR NATH R/O-VILLAGE- KHUDRA KATARA P.O.- CHANGNOI Page No.# 3/11 DISTRICT- NALBARI ASSAM 13: JITU TALUKDAR S/O- LATE B.R. TALUKDAR R/O VILLAGE- BASANTIPUR P.O.- TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM. 14: SANKAR GHATAK S/O- OF LATE N.C. GHATAK R/O- CIVIL HOSPITAL ROAD P.O.- TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 15: MAHESH DEKA S/O- LATE BIPIN DEKA R/O- VILLAGE- KUMARGAON P.O.-TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 16: PULIN BORAH S/O- RUDRA KANTA BORAH R/O-VILLAGE NEPALIPATTI BAMUNGAON P.O. TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 17: BIJIT BORAH S/O - LATE GIRIDHAR BORAH R/O- PATIA CHUBURI P.O.- DEKARGAON DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 18: PULAK KUMAR HALOI S/O- CHANDRA KANTA HALOI R/O - VILLAGE DEURIGAON P.O- KETEKIBARI DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM Page No.# 4/11 19: KALPANA SAIKIA W/O -SRI ATUL SALKIA R/O- VILLAGE- NIKMUL SATRA P.O.- MAHABHAIRAB DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM. 20: BASANTA BIJOY MAHANTA S/O - LATE RAJANI KANTA MAHANTA R/O- CHANDAMARI P.O.- HALEM DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 21: PANKAJ CHETRI S/O- SRI AMAR BAHADUR CHETRI R/O -VILLAGE- SILIKHABARI P.O. -SILIKHABARI DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM. 22: BALIN DAS S/O- SRI BHELU DAS R/O- VILLAGE- SENSOWA MATAK GAON P.O.- SENSOWA TINIALI DISTRICT- NAGAON ASSAM. 23: BUBUL SAIKIA S/O - LATE LOHIT CHANDRA SAIKIA R/O- VILLAGE- BAROHOLIA PADMAPATI ROAD P.O. -TEZPUR DISTRICT- SONITPUR ASSAM 24: ANIL THAKUR S/O- MAHENDRA THAKUR R/O- VILLAGE-CHAK KUCHIARI P.O.- LOHKINI DISTRICT- VAISHALI BIHAR VERSUS BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED AND 4 ORS Page No.# 5/11 REPRESENTED BY CHARMAN CUM MANAGING DIRECTOR, BHARAT SANCHAR BHAVAN, HARISH CHANDRA MATHUR LANE, JANPATH, NEW DELHI-110 001 2:THE DIRECTOR (HRD) BSNL CORPORATE OFFICE BHARAT SANCHAR BHAVAN HARISH CHANDRA MATHUR LANE JANPATH NEW DELHI-110 001 3:THE CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM ASSAM TELECOM CIRCLE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING. FLOOR PANBAZAR GUWAHATI ASSAM 781001 4:THE GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM DISTRICT TEZPUR SSA BSNL TEZPUR-784001 5:THE TELECOM DISTRICT ENGINEER TEZPUR SSA BSNL TEZPUR-78400 Advocate for the Petitioner : MR. N BORAH, MR. N BORAH(P-1),MR. K N CHOUDHURY(P- 1),MR M.J. BHARALI,N AHMED Advocate for the Respondent : SC, BSNL, T NATH (R-1,2,3,4),MR V KUMAR (R-1,2,3,4),MR B HAZARIKA (R-1,2,3,4),MR B PATHAK (R-1,2,3,4) Linked Case : WP(C)/4941/2023 BHUPEN BARMAN AND 3 ORS. S/O- SRI SUREN BARMAN Page No.# 6/11 R/O- VILL. NO. 2 SAIKIA SUBURI P.O.- ORANG DIST.- DARRANG ASSAM PIN- 784114. 2: PARIMAL KUMAR SARKAR S/O- SRI RATI RANJAN SARKAR R/O- WARD NO. 6 INDRA BORA PATH P.O.- DHEKIAJULI DIST.- SONITPUR ASSAM. PIN -784110. 3: MIRAN DAIMARY S/O- SHIRAN DAIMARY R/O- VILL. NO. 2 SANTIPUR P.O.- UDALGURI DIST.- DARRANG ASSAM PIN- 784509. 4: YAMA KANTA CHAMLAGAI S/O- SRI KHARA NANDA CHAMLAGAI R/O- VILL. GORUDUBA P.O.- GORUDUBA DIST.- SONITPUR ASSAM PIN- 784149. VERSUS BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD AND 4 ORS. REPRESENTED BY CHAIRMAN CUM MANAGING DIRECTOR BHARAT SANCHAR BHAVAN Page No.# 7/11 HARISH CHANDRA MATHUR LANE JANPATH NEW DELHI- 110001. 2:THE DIRECTOR (HRD) BSNL CORPORATE OFFICE BHARAT SANCHAR BHAVAN HARISH CHANDRA MATHUR LANE JANPATH NEW DELHI- 110001. 3:THE CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM ASSAM TELECOM CIRCLE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING FLOOR PANBAZAR GUWAHATI ASSAM 781001. 4:THE GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM DISTRICT TEZPUR SSA BSNL TEZPUR- 784001. 5:THE TELECOM DISTRICT ENGINEER TEZPUR SSA BSNL TEZPUR- 784001. ------------ Advocate for : MR. N BORAH Advocate for : SC BSNL appearing for BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD AND 4 ORS. Linked Case : WP(C)/4942/2023 DAMBARU CHUTIA AND 2 ORS. S/O- GHANA KANTA CHUTIA Page No.# 8/11 R/O- VILL- CHAMARAJAN P.O.- CHAMARAJAN DIST.- DHEMAJI ASSAM. 2: DIPALI HAZARIKA C/O- SRI NIRANJAN HAZARIKA R/O- USHA NAGAR BYE LANE-24 P.O.- TEZPUR DIST.- SONITPUR ASSAM. 3: UJJAL MAHANTA S/O- LATE JOGEN MAHANTA R/O- VILL. KEKARPOOL P.O.- TEZPUR DIST.- SONITPUR ASSAM. VERSUS BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD AND 4 ORS. REPRESENTED BY CHAIRMAN CUM MANAGING DIRECTOR BHARAT SANCHAR BHAVAN HARISH CHANDRA MATHUR LANE JANPATH NEW DELHI- 110001. 2:THE DIRECTOR (HRD) BSNL CORPORATE OFFICE BHARAT SANCHAR BHAVAN HARISH CHANDRA MATHUR LANE JANPATH Page No.# 9/11 NEW DELHI- 110001. 3:THE CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM ASSAM TELECOM CIRCLE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING FLOOR PANBAZAR GUWAHATI ASSAM 781001. 4:THE GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM DISTRICT TEZPUR SSA BSNL TEZPUR- 784001. 5:THE TELECOM DISTRICT ENGINEER TEZPUR SSA BSNL TEZPUR- 784001. ------------ Advocate for : MR. N BORAH Advocate for : SC BSNL appearing for BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD AND 4 ORS. BEFORE HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE MR. ASHUTOSH KUMAR HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE ARUN DEV CHOUDHURY ORDER 29-07-2025 (Arun Dev Choudhury,J) 1. Heard Mr. K. N. Choudhury, learned Senior counsel assisted by Mr. N. Gautam, learned counsel for the petitioners. Also heard Mr. B. Pathak, learned Standing counsel representing the respondent Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL in short). Page No.# 10/11 2. The petitioners in these three writ petitions are the Casual Labourers, who had been rendering long years of service under BSNL. Along with similarly placed persons, they had earlier approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Guwahati Bench by filing original applications, i.e., O.A. Nos. 205/2011, 282/2011 & 286/2011. Their common prayer before the aforesaid Tribunal was to grant them ‘ Temporary Status’ under the Casual Labourers (Grant of Temporary Status and Regularization Scheme) with effect from 27.05.1996 and to extend all the consequential service benefits. 3. Such prayer was rejected and all the original applications were dismissed by the CAT, Guwahati Bench under the common order dated 13.05.2015. 4. Some applicants before the CAT, Guwahati Bench, whose cases were dismissed by the learned Tribunal, approached this Court by preferring separate writ petitions, which were registered as WP(C) Nos. 2228/2016, 2229/2016, 2058/2016 and the same were allowed by a Co-ordinate Bench under its order dated 15.06.2017, with a direction to the concerned authorities to work out the benefits to which the petitioners are entitled to. 5. Subsequently, in similar circumstances, the Co-ordinate Bench in WP(C) No. 5353/2015, also observed that the determination made in the common judgment and order dated 15.06.2017 passed in WP(C) Nos. 2228/2016, 2229/2016 & 2058/2016, shall cover the similarly situated persons and accordingly, WP(C) No. 5353/2015 was allowed by the order dated 30.08.2017 in terms of the common judgment and order dated 15.06.2017 (supra). 6. Such determination was challenged before the Hon’ble Apex Court by the Union of India, however, the Hon’ble Apex Court negated such challenge and dismissed SLP(C) No. 24868-24873/2018 under its order dated 29.03.2023, leaving all the questions of law open. 7. Claiming to be similarly situated with that of the petitioners in WP(C) Nos. 2228/2016, 2229/2016, 2058/2016 & 5353/2015, the present writ petitions are filed. Page No.# 11/11 8. The BSNL authorities have not disputed that the petitioners in these writ petitions and the petitioners in WP(C) Nos. 2228/2016, 2229/2016, 2058/2016 & 5353/2015, are factually similarly situated, however, they have raised an objection that the Hon’ble Apex Court, kept the question of law open in its order dated 29.03.2023. 9. In the considered opinion of this Court, when the petitioners are admittedly similarly situated, they cannot be refused the benefits that had been granted by the Co- ordinate Bench under its order dated 15.06.2017 and the order dated 30.08.2017. 10. Accordingly, the present writ petitions also stand allowed in terms of the common judgment and order dated 15.06.2017 passed in WP(C) Nos. 2228/2016, 2229/2016 & 2058/2016 and the BSNL authorities shall now work out the benefits to which the petitioners are entitled under the Casual Labourers (Grant of Temporary Status and Regularization Scheme) and all the consequential benefits to which the petitioners are entitled to be given. 11. All the three writ petitions are accordingly allowed. No cost. JUDGE CHIEF JUSTICE Comparing Assistant