MAKATI KIRITKUMAR DHARAMSHI Vs. JUNAGADH AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners in all these petitions have approached this Court seeking direction to the respondent authorities to implement forthwith the revision of pay-scale prescribed in the 5th Pay Commission to the petitioners by placing the petitioners in corresponding pay-scale of Rs. 6500 - 10,500 and some of the petitioners, who are in selection grade to the pay-scale of Rs. 8,000 - 13,500 from 01.01.1996. They have further challenged the order dated 12.11.2006 and 01.12.2006 passed by the State Government and the Universities, respectively, wherein their claim for parity of pay-scale with that of Assistant Engineer in the State Government has been rejected.

(2.) The petitioners are the employees of the respondent no.1 - University, which was initially known as Gujarat Agricultural University, but by virtue of the Act of 2004, this main Gujarat Agriculture University was bifurcated in four zones and each zone was given a separate autonomous status of University, and thereby, given a nomenclature as Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh.

(3.) The petitioners were appointed as Junior Engineers (Civil) in the pay-scale of Rs. 1640-2900 in the University. The appointment letters of some of the petitioners are on the file. Later on, after coming into force of the 5th Pay Commission, their pay-scale has been revised to 5500-9000 in place of 6500 - 10500. It is claim of the petitioners that the nature of job and duties by the petitioners are similar to those of Assistant Engineers in the State Government and as such they were entitled to get pay-scale of Rs. 2000-3200 and after coming into force of 5th Pay commission their scale was reached to Rs. 6500 - 10500.