JUDGMENT :

1. Delay condoned. Leave granted.

2. These clutch of appeals stem from two judgments delivered by the Division Bench of the High Court of Gujarat. In the first judgment¹[R/Letters Patent Appeal No. 1159 of 2017 dated 14.02.2023, in R/MCA No. 721 of 2024 dated 22.03.2024.], State of Gujarat & Anr. v. Gohel Vishal Chhaganbhai & Ors. State’s Letter Patent Appeals against orders of the single Judge granting the minimum scale of Assistant Professors to the respondents contractually appointed as Assistant Professors was dismissed. The State is before us in the first set of Civil Appeals. The second set of Civil Appeals pertain to some of the subsequently appointed contractual Assistant Professors, whose writ petitions were allowed by the single Judge granting complete parity with similarly placed Assistant Professors. The Division Bench, in State’s Letter Patent Appeals went to the other extreme of allowing the appeals and dismissing the writ petitions altogether. Thus, the contractually appointed Assistant Professors are before us.

3. While applying the principles of equal pay for equal work and confirming the directions of the Division Bench to pay a minimum of the pay scale of Assistant Professors to the respondents, we have dismissed the State’s appeals. Applying the same principles, we have allowed the Civil Appeals filed by similarly placed contractually appointed Assistant Professors and directed that they shall be paid minimum of the scale payable to Assistant Professors.

4. Academicians, lecturers and professors are the intellectual backbone of any nation, as they dedicate their lives to shaping the minds and character of future generations. Their work goes far beyond delivering lessons—it involves mentoring, guiding research, nurturing critical thinking, and instilling values that contribute to the progress of society. However, in many contexts, the compensation and recognition extended to them do not truly reflect the significance of their contribution. When educators are not treated with dignity or offered respectable emoluments, it diminishes the value a country places on knowledge and undermines the motivation of those entrusted with building its intellectual capital. By ensuring fair remuneration and dignified treatment, we affirm the importance of their role and reinforce the nation’s commitment to quality education, innovation, and a brighter future for its youth.

5. It is just not enough to keep reciting gurubramha gururvishnu gurdevo maheshwarah² at public functions. If we believe in this declaration, it must be reflected in the way the nation treats its teachers.

6. We will first be dealing with the appeals filed by the State against the judgment of the Division Bench dated 14.02.2023, thereafter, we will take up the appeals filed by the contractually appointed Assistant Professors.

Re: Appeals Preferred by State of Gujarat – In State of Gujarat & Anr. v. Gohel Vishal Chhaganbhai & Ors. This decision will also dispose of Civil Appeals arising out of SLP (C) (Diary No.)- 26736/2024, SLP (C) (Diary No.)- 26794/2024 and SLP (C) (Diary No.)- 26843/2024.

7. We have a serious concern about the way we treat our teachers. They educate our future generations, enable them to acquire the necessary qualifications and expertise. The respondents have been teaching in various Government Engineering Colleges and other Institutions of the State of Gujarat. The All-India Council for Technical Education has declared that these lecturers must be re-designated as Assistant Professors. Their story, to the extent that