The Himachal Pradesh High Court has given an important verdict and made it clear that the contract employees who were regularized after 2022 are also entitled to get revised pay scale. The court has completely quashed the government’s order, in which the petitioner’s claim was rejected saying that he had not completed two years of contract service till 30 September 2021.
The case was heard in the court of Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua. Rejecting the government’s argument, the court said that the Revised Pay Scale Rules, 2022 will not only apply to those employees who were regularized till 30 September 2021, but its benefit will also be available to those employees who have been regularized after that. The court clearly said that there cannot be different pay scales for employees working on the same post.
The court expressed displeasure over the Joint Secretary of the Tribal Department for negligence and delay in the matter and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. Orders were given to deposit this amount in the Chief Justice Disaster Relief Fund 2025.
The court also directed that the concerned authorities should reconsider the case of petitioner Prabhjot Singh within three weeks and give him the benefit of revised pay scale. The court also clarified in its decision that the government has misinterpreted the earlier decision of Mohit Sharma case. The court said that once the contract employees become regular, they should get the same rights and facilities as regular employees.
This decision has brought relief to thousands of employees of the state, who were struggling to get the benefit of revised pay scale for a long time.
