Nine income tax inspectors (petitioners) got a major relief from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today as the tribunal stayed the promotions of income tax inspectors to posts of income tax officer after the eligibility list was challenged.

The nine petitioners, who are income tax inspectors, have challenged the eligibility list based upon which the consideration for promotion was to take place.
The petitioners alleged that the eligibility list was based on the provisional seniority list in which objections had been called till July 6.

Based on that provisional list, the eligibility list was circulated on July 1 itself even before the objections were raised, it has been alleged.

The case has now been adjourned to July 15. The CAT has issued a notice to the Secretary, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, New Delhi, and the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, North-West Region, to file a reply.

It has been alleged that the seniority list of inspectors as on March 31, 2013, for North-West Region, Chandigarh, was circulated on June 30, 2015, evening on the Internet only by the office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, NWR, Chandigarh, in which junior applicants have been shown leaving the petitioners in the lurch.

Simultaneously on July 1, 2015, an eligibility list of income tax inspectors, who are to be considered and promoted as ITOs for the recruitment year 2015-2016, was displayed on the Internet in the evening in which the names of none of the applicants who are eligible was considered. Objections had been invited for the seniority list as well as the eligibility list by July 6, 2015, and applicants filed individual objections on July 3, 2015.

Based on the eligibility list, a meeting of the departmental promotion committee, will take place on July 9 and 10 without even deciding the representations of the applicants to deprive them of the consideration and promotion as ITOs, states the petition.