The Central Bank of India (CBI) had recently issued a notification for the recruitment of 484 Safai Karmchari cum Sub Staff and/or Sub Staff positions for the year 2024-25. The notification was released on December 20, 2023, initiating the online application process.
However, the High Court of Bombay has subsequently nullified the recruitment notification through an order issued on January 23, 2024. As per the court’s directive, the bank is now obligated to issue a fresh notification within the next 60 days. For further details, the Central Bank of India Sub Staff Recruitment Cancellation Notice and a copy of the court order are provided below.
What is the issue?
The petitioners, numbering around 18 individuals, have been employed as Safai Karmacharis/Kamgars (casual workers) since before the year 2012, with some of them starting their employment in 2015. Similar individuals, in comparable positions, worked as Peons and Sweepers from January 2011. On August 9, 2012, Respondent Nos. 2 to 4, representing the Central Bank of India (hereinafter referred to as “the Respondent Bank”), entered into a Memorandum of Settlement with the All India Central Bank of India Employees Federation, a recognized Union (hereinafter referred to as “the Recognized Union”). The agreement stipulated that temporary/casual workers engaged in various branches of the Respondent Bank across India would be allowed to participate in the recruitment process initiated in the immediate future. However, they were not allowed to take part in the subsequent process for selection to the posts of Safai Karmachari-cum-Sub Staff and Sub Staff on a full-time basis, along with fresh candidates.
Subsequently, the selection process commenced through an advertisement dated January 12, 2013. However, on July 4, 2014, the Corporate Office of the Respondent Bank halted and subsequently canceled the selection process. Employees from the Regional Offices in Barpeta Road, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam challenged the cancellation of the selection process for the years 2012-2013 in the High Court of Gauhati. By the judgment dated March 14, 2016, the petition was allowed, and the Respondent Bank was directed to notify the results. The Respondent Bank, dissatisfied, preferred a petition before the Division Bench, which was dismissed. It then approached the Honorable Supreme Court, and by an order dated October 27, 2017, the Special Leave Petition was dismissed, confirming the order of the learned Single Judge of the Gauhati High Court.
In January 2018, the results were notified in the Upper Assam Region in the regional office as well as in the Gauhati office. Successful candidates, who could be similar to the petitioners, are reported to have been absorbed by the Respondent Bank and are now working on a regular basis. Comparable daily wagers to the petitioners were also reportedly absorbed into service.
The contention of these petitioners is that over the period from 2012 until today, most of them have worked for more than a decade, and some have been working since 2015 onwards. They preferred Writ Petition No.14281/2019 (Vilas Agaji Pawar and others vs. Union of India and others) before this Court at the Aurangabad Bench. By the order dated August 30, 2023, this Court disposed of the petition with certain directions.
