SMT. SUVARNA BHIMAJI THINGLE vs THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH SECRETARY , REVENUE DEPT. AND ORS

Judgment text excerpt

Ingale 8-wp-10404-19.odt IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 10404 OF 2019 Smt. Suvarna Bhimaji Thigle Age : 36 years Occu: Nil. R/at : 2368, Behind Zilla Parishad School Tal. Khed, Dist. Pune … Petitioner Versus 1. The State of Maharashtra Through Secretary to the Government Revenue Dept., Mantralaya, Mumbai 2. The Secretary, General Administrative Department, Mantralaya, Mumbai 3. Collector of Pune .… Respondent **** Mr. Rushikesh G. Bhagat i/b Khandeparkar & Associates, for the Petitioner. Ms. Reena A. Salunkhe, AGP for the Respondent-State. **** CORAM : M.S.KARNIK & S.M.MODAK, JJ. DATE : 02nd FEBRUARY 2026 ORAL JUDGMENT (PER M.S.KARNIK, J. ) : 1. Heard Mr. Bhagat, learned counsel for the petitioner and Ms. Salunkhe, learned AGP appearing for the respondent- State. 1 Ingale 8-wp-10404-19.odt 2. The challenge in this petition is to an order passed by the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (‘the Tribunal’, for short), dismissing the original application filed by the petitioner. The matter pertains to the appointment of the petitioner in Group C (Class III) cadre under the Project Affected Persons category (‘PAP’, for short). Before the Tribunal, the petitioner had sought a direction to the respondents to appoint her in a Group C (Class III) cadre under the PAP category by giving priority to her whenever a job opportunity is available in the government department. It was the case of the petitioner that the PAPs should have been regarded as a separate and distinct category for the purpose of selection process. 3. It is submitted that an error has been committed by the respondents in equating the petitioner, a PAP candidate, with all those who were competing under the open category. Our attention is invited by learned