JUDGMENT :

(Jyotsna Rewal Dua, J.)

1. The petitioner is with the grievance that his pay needs to be stepped up at par with that of his Junior Sh. Jagdev Singh Thakur. The respondents have opposed this plea.

2. Simple case projected by the petitioner is that:-

2(i) Petitioner was appointed as Clerk on 15.06.1983 in the respondent-Education Department. He was promoted as Senior Assistant in the year 1998. He was further promoted as Superintendent Grade-II in December, 2004.

2(ii) One Jagdev Singh Thakur was junior to the petitioner. Jagdev Singh Thakur was appointed as Clerk on 13.03.1985 in the respondent- Education Department. He was promoted as Superintendent Grade-II in the year 2007.

2(iii) State of Himachal Pradesh revised the pay scales of its employees w.e.f. 01.01.2006. Pay of the petitioner as on 20.07.2007 was fixed at Rs.19430/-, whereas pay of Jagdev Singh Thakur, on the same day i.e. 20.07.2007 was fixed at Rs.19,830/-. The pay of the petitioner became less by Rs.400/- as compared to that of his junior Jagdev Singh Thakur. This difference in their pay scale crept in the year 2