105 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of Decision : 10.03.2025 Virender Singh …Petitioner Versus Kurukshetra University and others ….Respondents CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE TRIBHUVAN DAHIYA Present: Mr. Sube S. Kaushik, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Nilesh Kant Goyal, Advocate for Mr. A.S. Virk, Advocate for respondent no.1/University.

Ms. Tanushree Gupta, DAG, Haryana. TRIBHUVAN DAHIYA, J. (ORAL)

The petition has been filed, inter alia, seeking a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to grant the benefit of revised pay scale to the petitioner, who is working as Proof Reader (Post Graduate) in the respondent- University, with effect from 05.04.2013, and further revise it with effect from 01.09.2014. The revised pay scales have been sought on the premise that a committee constituted by the Vice Chancellor has recommended grant of pay scale of ₹9300-34800+GP 3200 (with revised GP of ₹3600 with effect from

01.09.2014) to the petitioner as Proof Reader.

2. Learned State counsel, has received instructions from the second respondent vide memo dated 07.03.2025 which is retained on the case file along with letters appended thereto as Annexure ‘A’ . She contends that a Committee of Registrars of State Universities was constituted, vide office order dated

27.04.2017, to examine the disparity in pay scales and qualifications of various non-teaching posts/employees of the Universities. It recommended certain changes in pay scales and qualifications of the non-teaching staff to the Government to maintain parity in the pay scales/qualifications across the Universities.

3. The recommendations of the Committee were received from Registrar, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, vide letter dated 22.11.2024, and sent to the Finance Department for taking an appropriate decision. The Finance Department, Pay Revision Branch, has conveyed its decision, vide letter dated 06.02.2025 to the Additional Chief Secretary, Higher/Technical Education Department, to maintain uniformity in pay scales for the posts of System Analyst/System Programmer and Proof Reader in all the State Universities. The letter reads as under:

However, meanwhile, vide Instructions No. 6/61/2021-

3PR(FD) dated 06.02.2025 (Annexure A-2), Finance Department has advised that:-

.......that it has been come to the notice of the Finance Department that the pay level of the Post of System Analyst/System Programmer and Proof Reader are not uniform in all the Universities of the State of Haryana under your control. For which, the employees of Academic Universities have approached the Hon'ble Court by filing a CWP as cited in the subject.

1. Now, after careful consideration and to maintain uniformity in the pay level of these posts, Government has decided that the posts of System Analyst/ System Programmer and Proof Reader may be treated as non-teaching posts and the pay level of these posts in all the universities of the State would be as under:-

3. Further, wherever the Pay Level of these posts in any of the University is higher than that of mentioned above, the same may be reviewed accordingly. However, pay of the employee occupying this post (if any) may be protected in the above said Pay Level.

In view of the above advice of the Finance department, vide this office Memo No.5/289-2024 UNP(2) dated 04.03.2025 (Annexure A-3), all the State Universities have already been informed accordingly.

4. This decision of the Finance Department was conveyed by the second respondent to Registrars of all the State Universities vide letter dated 04.03.2025 for appropriate decision. She further contends that it is now for the respondent-University to give the scale of FPL-6 (35400) to the petitioner, who is working as Proof Reader (Post Graduate).

5. In view of these facts, learned counsel for the petitioner has no objection to the petition being disposed of with a direction to the Kurukshetra University to take appropriate action and release the due benefits to the petitioner in terms