The determination of pay scales is the exclusive domain of the state, and courts should only intervene in cases of constitutional violations.

1.By way of present petition, the petitioners have prayed for grant of the following substantive reliefs:-

“i) That the pay scale of petitioners may be ordered to be revised from Rs. 950-1800 to Rs. 3330-6200 instead of Rs. 3120-5150 with effect from 1.1.1996 and further pay revision may also be ordered to be made on the basis of pay fixation with effect from 1.1.1996.

ii) That the arrears on account of the pay revision may be ordered to be released to the petitioners with interest at the rate of 12% per annum.”

2. As per pleadings in the writ petition, petitioner No.1 initially appointed as Weaving Master with the respondent-State, who joined his duties on 11.03.1981. Petitioner No.2 was appointed as Weaving Instructor, who joined his duties on 12.12.1981 and petitioner No.3 was appointed as Carpenter Master, who joined his duties on 25.10.1997. Later on as per Notification dated 22.11.1995 (Annexure P-2), the aforesaid categories against which the petitioners were working were re-designated as Junior Technician (Weaving Master/Instructor) and Junior Technician (Carpenter Master). Vide Notification dated 19.05.1998 issued by the Punjab Government, the pay-scales of various categories were revised and the pay-scale of Technical Masters was revised from Rs.950-1800/- to Rs.3330-6200/- w.e.f. 01.01.1996.

3. It has been averred in the petition that the State Government of H.P. has taken a policy decision to adopt the pay-scales as admissible to the employees of Punjab Government and pursuant to the revision of pay-scale w.e.f 01.01.1996, the pay-scale of petitioners was revised from Rs.950-1800/-to Rs.3120-5160/- as per (Annexure P-4).

4. The pay-scale of Technical Masters in the Department of Prisons in the State of Punjab was Rs.950- 1800/- (pre-revised) and the pay scale of Weaving Master/Instructor and Carpenter Master was also Rs.950-1800/- (pre-revised). Since the petitioners were not allowed the pay-scale as admissible to their counterparts in the State of Punjab, they made representation dated 02.08.2002 (Annexure P-6), requesting therein to revise their pay from Rs.950-1800/- to Rs.3330-6200/- instead of Rs.3120-5160/- with effect from 01.01.1996. Acting on the representation of the petitioners, respondent No.2 submitted various letters to respondent No.1, whereby the case of the petitioners was found to be genuine and requested respondent No.1 to notify the revised pay-scale of Rs.3330-6200/- w.e.f. 01.01.1996, instead of pay-scale of Rs.3120-5160/-. Despite making request by respondent No.2, respondent No.1 kept on assuring that the grievance of the petitioners shall be redressed. Lastly, respondent No.2 vide communication dated 19.07.2012 (Annexure P-10) had written to respondent No.1 to get the revised pay-scale of the petitioners from Rs.3330- 6200/- w.e.f. 01.01.1996.

5. The petitioners have pleaded in the petition that there are only three/four persons working in the Department of Prisons, who will be benefited in case the anomaly is removed, as there was no other person working against the aforesaid category of Technicians. It has been pleaded that respondent No.2 had justified the demand raised by the petitioners to be legal and justified and thus, there was no justification on the part of respondent No.1 to delay the issuance of Notification with regard to revision of pay-scale w.e.f. 01.01.1996 and further revision of pay scale w.e.f. 01.01.2006.

6. Respondents No.1 and