2016-Ģ��ƵAT-630

Ģ��ƵAT Held or Ģ��ƵDT Pronouncements

Ģ��ƵAT held that Ģ��ƵDT had not addressed the Appellants�� request for an extension of time but had rather converted sua sponte the request into incomplete applications and summarily adjudged their applications as not receivable. Ģ��ƵAT held that Ģ��ƵDT could not have converted sua sponte the Appellants�� request for more time into applications. Ģ��ƵAT held that Ģ��ƵDT had not afforded the Appellants the opportunity to file an application and had committed several procedural errors, exceeded its jurisdiction and competence, and violated the Appellants�� due process rights. Ģ��ƵAT vacated the Ģ��ƵDT judgment and remanded the matter to Ģ��ƵDT with directions to permit the Appellants to file their applications.

Decision Contested or Judgment/Order Appealed

The Applicants filed a request for an extension of time to file their applications against the decision which found according to a comprehensive salary survey conducted in New Delhi, India, that the current salaries for locally recruited staff were above the labour market. Ģ��ƵDT reiterated that the decision to freeze the existing salary scales did not constitute an administrative decision for the purpose of art. 2. 1(a) of its Statute. Ģ��ƵDT decided by way of summary judgment that the applications were not receivable ratione materiae.

Legal Principle(s)

A request for an extension of time to file an application is not equivalent to an actual application and shall not be treated as such. The requests for an extension of time were made so that the staff members could obtain the information needed to prepare an application. In other words, the staff members were not ready to file an application without first obtaining additional information needed to support said application. In such circumstances, however, Ģ��ƵDT is not necessarily required to grant the staff members�� requests for an extension of time but shall not sua sponte convert such requests to applications.

Outcome

Appeal granted

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The judgment summaries were generally prepared in English. They were translated into French and are being reviewed for accuracy of the translation.

Applicants/Appellants

Bhatia et al.

Entity

Case Number(s)