JUDGMENT

P.K. Lohra, J. - In all these writ petitions grievances of the petitioners in general are founded on identical facts and for craving desired reliefs they have taken shelter of common grounds, therefore, all are heard together and disposed of by a common order.

2. The undisputed facts of all these writ petitions are that petitioners were initially recruited as Lecturer, School Education, pursuant to their selection by the Public Service Commission. With the passage of time, when all the petitioners became eligible for promotion to the post of Principal, Senior Secondary School, instead of conveying meeting of Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), second respondent ordered their posting as Principal in their existing Pay Band and Grade Pay - Patey Vetan. The details of each petitioner showing their date of initial appointment as Lecturer School Education and posting as Principal in existing Pay Band and Grade Pay - Patey Vetan is as under:

3. While working on the post of Principal in their existing Pay Band and Grade Pay - Patey Vetan, candidature of all the petitioners is considered for regular promotion by the DPC. The DPC found all the petitioners suitable for promotion and accordingly recommended for their promotion. Pursuant to recommendations of DPC, petitioners are promoted as Principal. Details about promotion orders and year of vacancy is as under:

4. Grievance of the petitioners is denial of Pay Band and Pay Scale of Principal from that date they took the charge of said post. It is pleaded by the petitioners that when they have discharged duties of higher and responsible post, depriving them Pay Band and Pay Scale commensurating with the post is arbitrary and illegal besides being violative of principles of equal pay for equal work. Petitioners have also averred in the petitions that existence of vacancies, their eligibility for the promotional post, was not taken care by the respondents due to their inaction of belated convening meeting of DPC. Besides claiming requisite emoluments in the Pay Band and Pay Scale of Principal for the intervening period, during which petitioners have discharged duties of Principal on Patey Vetan, they have also prayed for benefits of pay fixation by reckoning their services from the date duties of Principal are assigned to them.

5. In the reply, besides taking certain preliminary objections, respondents have pleaded that the claim of petitioners for Pay Band and Grade Pay of Principal is not sustainable being contrary to the terms and conditions of the posting orders. It is also averred in the return that employees are not entitled for higher pay for mere satisfactory services of certain period on higher post without availing promotion in accordance with the rules. As per version of the respondents, issuing orders assigning higher duties of the post of Principal to the petitioners was working arrangement and therefore they have been rightly paid benefits of salary on Patey Vetan basis. Respondents have also averred in the reply that promotions were accorded to the petitioners as per rules on the recommendations of DPC and they have been allowed pay scale of the post of Principal from the date of regular promotion with notional benefit of pay fixation on higher post from the year of vacancy their candidature is adj