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2026 Supreme(Online)(Chh) 8679

IN THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR
Ramesh Sinha, CJ, Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, J
Vinod Kumar Verma – Appellant
Versus
State of Chhattisgarh – Respondent
WA No. 303 of 2026

Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: None
For the Respondents: Prasun Kumar Bhaduri

Employees of local rural administration bodies absorbed into State service cannot claim retrospective benefits or time-bound pay scales applicable only to regular Government servants, as their previous service conditions were distinct and governed by separate statutory frameworks.

Headnote:(A) Service Law - Entitlement to Time-bound Pay Scale - Panchayat employees absorbed into State Government service - Whether entitled to benefits of Circular dated 10.03.2017 - Circular issued by State Government exclusively pertains to regular Government servants - Rules applicable to Panchayat employees are distinct from those governing State Government servants - Circulars applicable to State Government servants are not automatically extended to Panchayat cadre employees - Absorption order specifically prohibits arrears prior to merger date. (Paras 17, 20-23, 26-29)

(B) Appeals - Intra-court appeal - Scope of interference - No interference warranted in the absence of perversity or infirmity - Reiteration of established legal position - Where issues are identical to previously decided matters, the court maintains consistency in its judicial stance. (Paras 31, 32, 6)

Facts of the case:
The appellants were initially appointed as contract workers under a local rural administration body. Following a policy decision, their services were absorbed into the state school education department. The appellants sought the benefit of time-bound pay scale enhancements as provided by a State Government circular which applies to regular Government employees. The writ petition challenging the denial of these benefits was dismissed by the Single Judge, leading to the present intra-court appeal.

Findings of Court:
The court held that the circular relied upon by the appellants exclusively applies to regular Government servants. Employees of the local rural administration body were governed by separate statutory frameworks prior to their absorption and cannot claim parity with regular Government employees for the period preceding their transition to the State service. Additionally, the terms of the absorption specifically barred the payment of arrears for any period prior to the date of absorption.

Issues: Whether employees originally hired by the local rural administration body and subsequently absorbed into the state school education department are entitled to benefit from circulars meant for regular State Government employees, and whether they can claim such benefits retrospectively.

Ratio Decidendi: Employees of a local rural cadre are not entitled to benefits specifically designed for regular Government servants under circulars predating their absorption. Parity can only be claimed by similarly situated persons; since the appellants were not Government employees at the time the circular was issued, they fall outside the ambit of its applicability.

Result: Appeal dismissed.

Table of Content
1. inapplicability of government circulars to panchayat cadre shiksha karmis. (Para 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23)
2. limitation of parity claims where prior service conditions differ. (Para 24 , 25 , 30)
3. contractual/statutory restriction on arrears post-absorption. (Para 26 , 27)
4. finality of judgment dismissal based on precedent. (Para 31 , 32)

Hon'ble Shri Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice

Hon'ble Shri Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, Judge

Judgment on Board

Per Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice

15.04.2026

1 None appears nor is any representation on behalf of the appellants. Mr. Prasun Kumar Bhaduri, learned Deputy Advocate General, appearing for the State is present.

2 I.A. No.01 has been filed to condone delay of 16 days in preferring the present appeal.

3 On due consideration the grounds assigned in the application (I.A. No.01), the same is allowed. Delay of 16 days in preferring the present writ appeal is hereby condoned.

4 The present writ appeal is directed against the order dated 24.11.2025 passed by learned Single Judge of this Court in WPS No.11009/2025, whereby writ petition filed by petitioners was dismissed.

5 Learned State counsel submits that the issue involved in this writ appeal has already been considered and decided by this Court vide judgment dated 13.03.2026 in Writ Appeal No.191/2026, whereby this Court has held as under:-

“10. This Court while dismissing the writ appeal filed by writ appellants has observed as under:-

“The entire controversy revolved around the Circular dated 10.03.2017 issued by the State Government with respect to the grant of Kramonnati Vetanman to the Assistant Teachers. It is neceSSAry to notice here the circular dated 10.03.2017, which reads as under:

छत्तीसगढ़ शासन

सामान्य प्रशासन विभाग

मंत्रालय

महानदी भवन, नया रायप्र

क्रमांक एफ 10-1/2008/1-3 नया रायपुर दिनांक 10/03/2017

प्रति,

शासन के समस् त विभाग,

अध्यक्ष, छत्तीसगढ़ राजस् व मण्डल, बिलासपुर

समस्त विभागाध्यक्ष,

समस्त संभागायक्तु

समस्त कलेक्टर्स,

छत्तीसगढ़

विषय :- सहायक शिक्षकों को कमोन्नति वेतनमान प्रदाय किए जानेबाबत्।

संदर्भ :- इस विभाग का समसंख्यक परिपत्र दिनांक 24.04.2006.

-00-

इस विभाग के संदर्भित परिपत्र द्वारा शिक्षक संवर्ग में सहायक शिक्षक, शिक्षक तथा व्याख्याता को सामान्य प्रशासन विभाग के परिपत्र कमांक एफ 1-1/1/वेआप्र/99, दिनांक 17.03.1999/19.04.1999 में निहित शर्तों के अध्यधीन प्रथन कमोन्न ति 12 वर्ष बाद तथा द्वितीय क्रमोन्न ति 24 वर्ष बाद प्रदान किया गया है। वित्त विभाग के ज्ञापन कमांक 216/सी-2802/10/वित्त/नियम/धार, दिनांक 04.08.2010 (वित्त निर्देश 32/2010) द्वारा क्रमोन्नति योजना को संशोधित कर शिक्षक तथा व्याख्या ता संवर्ग को प्रथम उच्चतर समयमान वेतनमान 10 वर्ष बाद एवं द्वितीय उच्चतर समयमान वेतनमान 20 वर्ष बाद देने का निर्णय लिया गया है।

2/अतएव उपरोक्त निर्णय के परिप्रेक्ष्य में राज्य शासन द्वारा निर्णय लिया गया हैकि इस विभाग के संदर्भित परिपत्र दिनांक 24.04.2006 की कं डिका-2 में "सहायक शिक्षक" को प्रथम कमोन्न ति 10 वर्ष बाद एवं द्वितीय क्रमोन्न ति 20 वर्ष बाद प्रदान की जाए।

3/उपरोक्त निर्णय के संबंध में यह स्पष्ट किया जाता है कि कमोन्नति की देयता तिथि के अनुसार केवल काल्पनिक वेतन निर्धारण किया जाएगा एवं किसी प्रकार के एरियर्स देय नहीं होंगे।

4/यह आदेश वित्त विभाग के कम्प्यूटर कमांक एफ 2017-01-01093 दिनांक 09.02.2017 द्वारा दी गई सहम ति के आधार पर जारी किया गया है।

छत्तीसगढ़ के राज्यपाल के नाम से तथा आदेशानुसार,

(एम.आर.ठोकूर) अवर सचिव,

छत्तीसगढ़ शासन

सामान्य प्रशासन विभाग

17. From perusal of the contents of the circular dated 10.03.2017, it is quite vivid that the Assistant Teachers, who were in Government service, are to be granted first Kramonnati Vetanman after 10 years of their service and second Kromonnati Vetanman after 20 years of their service, and the teachers and lecturers are to be granted first time-bound pay scale after 10 years of service and second time-bound pay scale after 20 years of service.

18. From Para-8.8 of the writ petition, undisputedly the petitioners have been appointed to the post of Shiksha Karmi Grade-III/Grade-II between the period of 2008 and 2013. It is also relevant to notice here paragraph 8.8 of the writ petition,

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2026 Supreme(Online)(Chh) 8679

IN THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPURRamesh Sinha, CJ, Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, JVinod Kumar Verma – AppellantVersusState of Chhattisgarh – RespondentWA No. 303 of 2026

Employees of local rural administration bodies absorbed into State service cannot claim retrospective benefits or time-bound pay scales applicable only to regular Government servants, as their previous service conditions were distinct and governed by separate statutory frameworks.

Cases Referred (3)

IN THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR
Ramesh Sinha, CJ, Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, J
Vinod Kumar Verma – Appellant
Versus
State of Chhattisgarh – Respondent
WA No. 303 of 2026