In 2018, the Supreme Court (SC) had ordered that journalists working for Doordarshan and All India Radio should also be promoted as per the Indian Broadcasting (Programme) Service Rules 1990. The Government’s plea was that television news correspondents and assistant news correspondents did not come under the ambit of this rule, and hence, are not eligible for promotion to junior administrative grade position. However, SC had not accepted the Government’s plea and had, instead, ruled in favour of two employees who had been fighting for their promotion and other benefits that had been denied to them for twelve years.
Following this ruling, many other employees who had been denied benefits approached the centre for the benefits they deserved. However, the Centre refused to entertain them saying that they would have to individually take up their issue with the Court; and that all the employees cannot be expected to benefit based on a favourable ruling in one case.
To this, a bench objected saying that it was wrong of the Centre to not extend benefits to those who had not filed a petition in court. The Court said that the employees who had retired cannot be expected to or afford to begin a legal battle at this stage in life, and that too for what they rightfully deserved.
The Court urged the Government of India to act as a “model employer” and be considerate. It pointed out that employees hired in the same cadre and through the same advertisement should all get the same benefits.
