Supreme Court Allows Transfer of AP Engineers’ Seniority Pleas to AP High Court

The Supreme Court has allowed the transfer of petitions filed by Andhra Pradesh employees in the dispute over the seniority and promotions of irrigation department engineers from the Telangana High Court to the Andhra Pradesh High Court. A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale passed the order on Monday. The petitions were filed in 2021, seeking transfer on the ground that disputes concerning employees working in Andhra Pradesh after the bifurcation of the erstwhile state should be dealt with by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The dispute relates to the seniority of Deputy Executive Engineers and Assistant Executive Engineers in the Irrigation Department of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. In 2019, the Telangana High Court set aside the government’s seniority orders and directed that seniority lists for engineers across the zones be redrawn. The Andhra Pradesh government subsequently initiated the process and issued circulars, which were challenged by some engineers before the AP High Court. Meanwhile, certain engineers approached the Telangana High Court with contempt petitions over the implementation of its earlier orders. The AP government told the Supreme Court that proceedings before both High Courts had created difficulties and sought transfer of all petitions involving AP employees to the AP High Court. As the parties raised no objection, the Supreme Court permitted the transfer.