RANJIT SINGH Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Shri Ashok Khare, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Shri Himanshu Singh, learned counsel for petitioners and learned Standing Counsel.

(2.) By means of this petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution petitioners who are working as Stenographers in the office of Divisional Commissioner are seeking pay parity with those identically placed Stenographers in the Collectorate/ District Magistrate and District offices under the District Magistrate.

(3.) It is submitted by learned Senior Advocate that petitioners were appointed as Stenographers on 8/1/2004, 24/4/2003 and 18/7/2003 as Stenographers in the office of the Divisional Commissioner Allahabad and Mirzapur and at that point of time the cadre of the Stenographers of the office of Commissioner was different one from those identically placed Stenographers in the Collectorate/ District Magistrate Office of the State. However, with the notification dtd. 9/12/1998 a Unified Service Rule, namely Uttar Pradesh Divisional Commissioners Offices and District offices (Collectorate) Personal Assistants and Stenographers Service Rules, 1998 came into being merging both the cadres of Stenographers working in the office of Divisional Commissioner and in the District Offices under the Collector/ District Magistrate. These rules provided for same set of educational qualification and eligibility criterion for the post of Stenographers in the office of Divisional Commissioner as well as office of Collector/ District Magistrate and the mode of selection by way of direct recruitment and by way of promotion was made the same as well.