JUDGEMENT
P.S.PATWALIA, J. -
(1.) The present writ petition has been filed by the Union Territory,
Chandigarh Administration being aggrieved against the order dated 10.5.2002
passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench, Chandigarh
(hereinafter to be referred as, `the Tribunal') allowing O.A.No.766/CH of 2000 and
also the order dated 6.8.2002 vide which Review Application No.103 of 2002 filed
by the petitioners against the order dated 10.5.2002 was dismissed.
(2.) Briefly the facts leading to the filing of the petition are that
respondents 2 to 9 who were working as Superintendent Grade-II in the office of
Director Public Instructions (Colleges), Union Territory, Chandigarh had filed
O.A.No.766/CH of 2000 claiming that they be granted the pay scale of
Superintendent Grade-I with effect from 24.9.1996 which was the date when the
office of Director, Public Instructions (Colleges), Chandigarh (also designated as
Joint Secretary, Finance for Education Department, College cadre and Ministerial
cadre), petitioner No.3 in the petition, had been declared as Head of the
Department. This relief was claimed by the applicants on the strength of
notification dated 18.10.1979 issued by the State of Punjab wherein it had been
notified that Superintendents in the offices of the Head of the Departments would
be re-designated as Superintendent Grade-I and would be entitled to the pay scale
of Rs.825-1580/-. It was the further case of the applicants that this notification had
been adopted by the Chandigarh Administration by its notification dated 13.1.1992
with effect from 1.4.1991. On a combined reading of the aforestated two
notifications, respondents 2 to 9 had claimed that since they were Superintendents
working in the office notified as office of Head of a Department, they were
entitled to the pay scale of Superintendent Grade-I i.e. Rs.825-1580/- with effect
from 24.9.1996 when the office of petitioner No.3 had been designated as that of
Head of the Department.
(3.) The Tribunal allowed the claim of respondents 2 to 9. While
allowing this claim, the Tribunal noted that similarly placed persons like
respondents 2 to 9 had earlier filed O.A.No.565/CH of 1986, Krishan Lal Sethi v.
Chandigarh Administration which was allowed by the Tribunal on 13.3.1991.
Besides this, another set of similarly situated persons had filed O.A.No.1285/CH
of 1992 which was also allowed on 3.1.1996. It was further noted by the Tribunal
that the judgment of the Tribunal in O.A.No.565/CH of 1996 was also upheld by
the Hon'ble Supreme Court by its order dated 10.7.1991. Therefore the Tribunal
vide its judgment dated 10.5.2002 allowed the claim of the applicants and held that
they were entitled to the pay scale of Rs.825-1580/- (pre-revised) with effect from
the date the office of petitioner No.3 was declared as Head of the Department on
24.9.1996. It was, however, held by the Tribunal that the pay of respondents 2 to 9
would be fixed from 24.9.1996 on notional basis and they would not be entitled to
arrears of pay. Chandigarh Administration filed a review application being
R.A.No.103 of 2002 seeking recalling/review of the order aforementioned.
However, the said application was dismissed by the Tribunal on 6.8.2002. It is
therefore that the Chandigarh Administration has filed the present writ petition
impugning the orders passed in the original application, as also the order rejecting
the review application.;
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