VISHAL MANIK MESHRAM Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard learned counsels for the both the parties.

(2.) The present writ petition is preferred by the petitioners who are the employees of Manganese Ore (India) Limited (for short, "MOIL") who claim that they are entitled for pay as made applicable to other Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), out of which, MOIL is one. The prayers are also made in this petition that the pay anomaly of the petitioners' pay vis-a-vis Executives of other Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) under the Ministry of Steel such as SAIL, KIOCL, NMDC etc. amounts to discrimination and thus violates Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The other consequential prayers are also made including a request to set aside the Minutes of Meeting held by the Board of Directors of MOIL on 27/09/2023. Various other prayers for direction to pay arrears of salary after upgradation of pay scales from 1/1/2017 are made.

(3.) In short, what lies at the heart of the petition is the issue regarding grant of pay parity.