JASWANT SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioners Jaswant Singh, Joginder Pal Sharma and Tarlochan Singh, who are presently working as Senior Lecture Assistants, under the Directorate of Public Instruction (Colleges), Punjab, have filed this petition with a prayer that respondents be directed to give them the pay scale of Rs. 700-1,200 with selection grade of Rs. 950-1,400 with effect from 1.1.1978 till 31.12.1985 and thereafter pay them salary in the pay scales of Rs. 1,800-3,200 and Rs. 2,000-3,500 with effect from 1.1.1986 and also to pay interest at the rate of 18% per annum on the arrears payable to the petitioners.

(2.) Petitioners are working as Senior Lecture Assistants. They have pleaded that the total service span of each of the petitioners is about 30 years. On the strength of various orders passed by this Court in the writ petitions filed by Junior Lecture Assistants and Senior Lecture Assistants the Government issued order dated 8.6.1992 (Annexure P.1) and granted the scale of Rs. 570-1,080 with selection grade of Rs. 620-1,200 for 20% posts with effect from 1.1.1978 to the Senior Lecture Assistants, who were earlier in the pay scale of Rs. 510-800. With effect from 1.1.1986 Senior Lecture Assistants have been given the pay scale of Rs. 1,500-2,640.

(3.) Petitioners have pleaded that persons appointed as Laboratory Technicians have been given the grade of Rs. 700-1,200 with effect from 1.1.1978 and even though they are similarly situated qua the Laboratory Technicians, they have been given lower pay scale of Rs. 570-1,080 with limited benefit of selection grade of Rs. 620-1,200 for 20% posts and in this manner the respondents have discriminated the petitioners. Another plea raised by the petitioners is that persons holding the posts of Assistants/Accountants, who were also drawing pay in the scale of Rs. 570-1,080, have been given the benefit of the pay scale of Rs. 1,800-3,200 with effect from 1.1.1986, whereas Senior Lecture Assistants who will be deemed to have been drawing salary in the scale of Rs. 570-1,080 with effect from 1.1.1978, have been deprived of the benefit of the pay scale of Rs. 1,800-3,200.