The court affirmed that a Gazette Notification has the force of statute and must be followed, allowing petitioners to opt for pay fixation based on their promotion.

JUDGMENT :

(Bibek Chaudhuri, J.)

The issue involved in the instant writ petition relates to fixation of pay-scale of the petitioners on the basis of 7th Pay Commission. The dispute between the petitioners and the State respondents is as to whether the pay fixation under 7th Pay Commission would be notionally fixed w.e.f. 01.01.2016 and be paid w.e.f. 01.04.2017 or the petitioners have any opportunity to submit their option for fixation of pay-scale under 7th Pay Commission, on the basis of their scale of pay on promotion which they received on 21.02.2017.

2. In the instant writ petition the petitioners challenged the order passed by the District Education Officer, Gaya on 25th/ 26th November, 2020. The relevant portion of impugned order runs thus:-

^^lUnfHkZr osru fu/kkZj.k dh leh{kk ls Li"V gqvk fd Jh vuqi dqekj] Jh iadt dqekj ,oa Jh vkuUn euksgj ds }kjk iwoZ in ;Fkk eSfVªd izf'kf{kr@Lukrd izf'kf{kr in fjDr djus vkSj Lukrd izf'kf{kr@iz/kkuk/;kid ds izksUur in ij ;ksxnku ds QyLo:i foRr foHkkx] fcgkj ds ladYi la[;k 630 fnukad 21-01-2020 }kjk izHkkoh "k"Ve~ osrueku vFkkZr~ viqujhf{kr osru lajpuk esa vxyh osru o`f) dh frfFk 01-07-2017 ls izksUur osreueku esa osru fu/kkZj.k dk fodYi p;u dj blesa osru fu/kkZj.k djk;k x;k vkSj blds ckn fnukad 01-01-2016 ls izHkkoh iqujhf{kr osru lajpuk esa fnukad 01-07-2017 ls osru fu/kkZj.k djk;k x;kA

bl izdkj mDr rhuksa ds }kjk ;ksxnku dh frfFk ls izksUur in dk osru fu/kkZj.k djk, tkus ds ckn fnukad 01-01-2016 vFkok vxyh osru o`f) dh frfFk 01-07-2016 vFkok izksUufr dh frfFk ds LFkku ij lIre~ osru iqujh{k.k esa fnukad 01-07-2017 ls osru fu/kkZj.k dk fodYi p;u fu;e ds iw.kZr% izfrdwy gSA

Jh eukst dqekj ds }kjk iwoZ in ;Fkk eSfVªd izf'kf{kr in fjDr djus vkSj Lukrd izf'kf{kr ds izksUur in ij fnukad 22-02-2017 dks ;ksxnku ds QyLo:i fnukad 01-01-2016 ds ckn viqujhf{kr osru lajpuk esa 01-07-2016 ,oa iqu% fnukad 01-07-2017 dks okf"kZd osru o`f) izkIr djrs gq, bl frfFk ls izksUur in ,oa iqujhf{kr osru lajpuk esa osru fu/kkZj.k dk fodYi p;u dj ,d lkFk fnukad 23-10-2017 dks osru fu/kkZj.k djk;k x;kA

buds }kjk fu;ekuqlkj fnukad 01-01- 2016 ds ckn vxyh osru o`f) 01-07-2016 vFkok izksUufr dh frfFk ;Fkk iwoZ in fjDr djus ¼viqujhf{kr osru lajpuk esa nwljh okf"kZd osru o`f) dh frfFk 01-07-2017 ds iwoZ½ ds vk/kkj ij osru fu/kkZj.k ugha djk, tkus ,oa nks fodYiksa dk ,d lkFk p;u fd, tkus ds vkyksd esa budk osru fu/kkZj.k foRr foHkkxh; izko/kku ds iw.kZr% izfrdwy LFkkfir gksrk gSA^^

3. It is contended by the learned Advocate on behalf of the petitioners that the impugned order itself is bad in law and violative of the Notification permitting 7th Pay Commission by the Government of Bihar to its employees. In order to substantiate his contention he refers to the Extraordinary Bihar Gazette Notification, published on 24th May, 2017, on the subject of revision of pay structure of the State Government employees w.e.f. 01.01.2016. The said Gazette Notification is annexed by the respondents in the supplementary counter affidavit filed by them on 7th October, 2024.

4. Learned Advocate on behalf of the petitioners first refers to Clause-2 of the said Notification, wherein it is stipulated:-

“The revised pay structure shall come into effect notionally from 1st January, 2016. However, the actual payments in the revised pay structure would arise with effect from 1st April, 2017. The revised pay structure will apply to all State Government employees who were in service on 1st January, 2016 and to all new appointments made on or after the said date.”

5. The learned Advocate on behalf of the petitioners refers to Clause-5 of the said Gazette Notification which deals with drawal of pay in the revised pay structure. Clause 5 says:-

“5. Drawal of Pay in the Revised Pay Structure.-Save as otherwise provided in these rules, a Government servant shall draw pay in the Level in the revised pay structure applicable to the post to which he is appointed, Provided that a Government servant may elect to continue to draw pay in the existing pay structure