To
The Secretary,
Department of Posts,
Dak Bhawan, New Delhi.
No : CHQ/POA/23/2025-2026. Dated 08.04.2026.
Subject: Request for inclusion of service rendered on ad-hoc
basis as regular service for the purpose of seniority – reg.
Madam,
A kind
reference is invited towards this association letter no. CHQ/POA/12/2025-2026
dated 13.11.2025 through which it was requested for regularisation of the ad-hoc period served by
the PS Group ‘B’ officers in the JTS Cadre. The Directorate, vide letter No.
4-2/2023-SPG dated 10.11.2023, had promoted 115 officers and vide letter no.-
4-2/2023-SPG dated 02.02.2024 from PS Group ‘B’ to JTS Group ‘A’ on an ad-hoc
basis against existing vacancies. These promotions were made after following
the due procedure, and the order clearly mentioned that “The President is
pleased to order…”
2. Subsequently, the Department issued a regular promotion
order vide File No. 4-5/2019-SPG dated 26.11.2024, promoting 28 officers on a
regular basis against existing vacancies. And vide Order No.R-04/13/2024-SPG-DOP dated 15th October
2025, regular promotion orders were issued for 87 officers against existing
vacancies. Majority of the officers in the said promotion lists have been continuously
serving without any break from the date of their ad-hoc appointment in JTS posts.
3. All officers who were initially promoted on ad-hoc basis
have since been appointed on a regular basis and were allowed to exercise the
option for fixation of pay under FR 22(I)(a)(1), as reiterated in the DoPT O.M.
No. 1667551701810 dated 13.09.2022.
4. It is further brought to your kind notice that:
(a) Directorate vide letter No.
1-11/2023-SPG dated 04.07.2024 promoted three SAG officers on ad-hoc basis to
HAG Cadre Group ‘A’, whose services were regularised from the date of their
ad-hoc promotion vide letter of even number dated 27.08.2024.
(b) Directorate vide letter No.
1-11/2023-SPG dated 17.09.2024 promoted one SAG officer on ad-hoc basis to HAG
Cadre Group ‘A’, whose service was regularised from the date of ad-hoc
promotion.
(c) Directorate vide letters No.
1-11/2023-SPG dated 04.07.2024 and 06.08.2024 promoted SAG officers on ad-hoc
basis to HAG Cadre Group ‘A’, and their services were regularised from the date
of ad-hoc promotion vide letter of even number dated 30.10.2024.
5. The DOPT rules governing ad-hoc promotions and their
regularisation are uniform for all Group ‘A’ appointments. However, it appears
that the same principles have not been applied consistently to the officers of
PS Group ‘B’ cadre who were promoted from ad-hoc to regular JTS cadre, and the
department applied rules negatively to the officers promoted from ad-hoc to
regular vide para 2 above
6. Several courts including the
Supreme Court and Various High Courts, have ruled that Ad-hoc service should be
counted if certain conditions are met: -
a) The initial Ad-hoc appointment was
made through a lawful process (e.g., following service rule/proper selection)
was not “illegal”
b) The employee served continuously in
that post until their service was regularised.
c) The appointment was made against a
substantive (permanent) vacancy.
In this case, all officers have been Ad-hoc appointed by the president
through lawful process, their service has been regularised without any break,
and all the appointment has been against permanent vacancies)
7. In view of the above, the
Postal Officers’ Association (I) one again humbly requests that the ad-hoc
service period of officers promoted vide letter No. 4-5/2019-SPG dated
26.11.2024 &
No.R-04/13/2024-SPG-DOP dated 15th October 2025 to be counted
as regular service for all purposes, including seniority, by applying the same
rules and precedents followed for officers mentioned in para 4 above within the same department and
cadre.
We
shall be grateful for your kind consideration of this request.
Thanking
you, Madam.
Yours faithfully,
(Rajiv Kumar) General Secretary
Copy to :
The Dy. Director General(P), Dak Bhawan, New
Delhi-110001.
General Secretary
To,
1. The
Secretary (Posts)
Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg, New
Delhi – 110001
2. The
Director General Postal Services
Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg, New
Delhi – 110001
No : CHQ/POA/24/2025-2026. Dated 08.04.2026.
Subject: Request for relaxation in service conditions,
early DPC, and filling up of vacant JTS/STS posts – regarding
Respected Sir,
On behalf
of the Postal Officers Association (India), I most respectfully wish to draw
your kind attention once again to the acute shortage of officers in the JTS and
STS cadres and the urgent need to address the issue in the interest of
administrative efficiency as well as officer welfare.
It is
respectfully submitted that the Directorate has earlier granted relaxation in
the required service conditions on two occasions (in 2015 and again in 2024)
for filling up posts in HSG-I and HSG-II cadres. In the same spirit, it is
earnestly requested that similar relaxation may kindly be considered for
filling up STS posts by granting necessary relaxation in eligibility conditions
to eligible JTS officers. Consequently, the vacancies arising in JTS may be
filled through timely DPC from Group ‘B’ officers. This will effectively
address the existing shortage in both JTS and STS cadres and ensure timely
promotion of eligible Group ‘B’ officers.
At present,
the situation at the field level is extremely challenging. A large number of
posts remain vacant, resulting in officers being assigned double or even triple
charges. This has placed an excessive administrative burden on officers,
adversely affecting their efficiency, work-life balance, and ultimately the
quality of service delivery to the public. The Department’s objective of
transforming operations into a profit-oriented and efficient system is
difficult to achieve under such constraints.
As per the latest Civil
List issued as on 01.01.2026, the vacancy position is as under:
STS: 102– 60 =
42 vacant
JTS: 151 – 133 =
18 vacant
Training Reserve: 30– 7 = 23 vacant
Leave Reserve =
5
Deputation: 51– 30 =
21 vacant
The above figures clearly
indicate a significant shortage of officers in the JTS/STS cadres.
It is also
pertinent to mention that due to the non-availability of regular officers,
several anomalies have arisen. In many instances, senior officers are compelled
to work under junior officers due to ad hoc arrangements or current duty
charges. Such situations create administrative anomalies, affect morale, and
place senior officers in awkward professional circumstances. These need to be
addressed urgently in the interest of maintaining proper hierarchy and
discipline.
It is
further submitted that as per DoPT guidelines, DPCs should be conducted in
advance (ideally six months prior) to ensure that panels are readily available
for filling vacancies as and when they arise. While this practice is followed
in higher grades, it has not been consistently implemented for promotions from
Group ‘B’ to JTS, resulting in a prolonged gap. Notably, DPCs for JTS were not
conducted from 2016 to 2023, which has significantly contributed to the present
shortage in STS as well.
Additionally,
the vacancies of JTS reported to UPSC for the years 2025 and 2026 are not
likely to be filled before 2028–2029. Therefore, it is humbly suggested that:
All clear
vacancies in JTS may be filled immediately on a regular basis through DPC. For
anticipated vacancies where UPSC recruits may take time, ad hoc promotions may
kindly be considered to ensure continuity of work.
Further,
officers who are presently holding double or triple charges may kindly be
granted appropriate financial compensation for the additional responsibilities
being discharged by them.
In view of the above, the
Postal Officers Association (India) most earnestly requests that:
·
Necessary relaxation in service conditions be
granted for promotion to STS.
·
Immediate DPC be conducted to fill all vacant
JTS posts from eligible Group ‘B’ officers.
·
Adhoc promotions may kindly be considered to
ensure continuity of work on anticipated vacancies where UPSC recruits may take
long time approx 2 to 3 years
·
All existing anomalies where senior officers are
working under junior officers be rectified at the earliest.
·
Ad hoc arrangements be regularized in a fair and
structured manner.
·
Appropriate compensation be granted to officers
handling multiple charges.
These measures will not only
improve administrative efficiency but also boost the morale of officers and
significantly enhance service delivery to the public.
The Association shall remain
ever grateful for your kind and welfare-oriented consideration in this matter.
Yours faithfully,
(Rajiv Kumar) General Secretary
Copy to :
The Dy. Director General(P), Dak Bhawan, New
Delhi-110001.
General Secretary
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