- (1.) The grievance of the petitioners in the instant petition is that once an issue has been settled by the Courts and relief has been granted to persons who have approached the Court then the same benefit ought to have been granted to all similarly situated persons. The similarly situated persons are not to be forced to approach the Court time and again for grant of the same relief. The petitioners have prayed for commanding the respondent Punjab State Electricity Board (for brevity, 'the Board') to grant them the pay scale of Rs. 6300-10700 with effect from 1.1.1996 in terms of the Division Bench judgments of this Court in the cases of G.K. Nagpal and others v. Punjab State Electricity Board Patiala, 1998 1 SCT 694 (L.P.A. No. 488 of 1989, decided on 7.1.1998, Annexure P-1) and Pawan Kumar Mittal and others v. Punjab State Electricity Board, (C.W.P. No. 14112 of 2002, decided on 22.12.2005, Annexure P-5).
(2.) Few facts may first be noticed. Prior to 1.1.1978, the posts of Laboratory Assistants, Line Superintendents, Auxiliary Plant Attendants, Sub-Station Operators were in the pay scale of Rs. 200-450 and with effect from 1.1.1978 all these categories of posts were given the pay scale of Rs. 570-1080. However, in the year 1981, Line Superintendents, Auxiliary Plant Attendants and Sub-Station Operators were given the sale of Rs. 700-1200 with effect from 1.1.1978, leaving the category of Laboratory Assistants.
(3.) Some of the colleagues of the petitioners filed C.W.P. No. 387 of 1987 (G.K. Nagpal and others v. Punjab State Electricity Board, Patiala) in this Court for removing the anomaly in their pay scales with that of Line Superintendents/Auxiliary Plant Attendants and Sub Station Operators and grant of pay scale of Rs. 700-1200 with effect from 1.1.1978. The writ petition was dismissed by a learned Single Judge with the finding that the qualifications were different. Thereafter, L.P.A. No. 488 of 1989 filed against the view of the learned Single Judge was allowed by the Letters Patent Bench of this Court, vide order dated 7.1.1998 (P-1). A special leave petition against the order dated 7.1.1998, was dismissed by Hon'ble the Supreme Court, vide order dated 23.3.1999 (P-2) although it may not amount to declaration of law.;