Madras High Court

T.K.Pattammal vs The Principal Secretary To The ... on 21 April, 2025

Author: Battu Devanand

Bench: Battu Devanand

W.P(MD)No.10753 of 2025

BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT

DATED : 21.04.2025

CORAM:

THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE BATTU DEVANAND

W.P.(MD)No.10753 of 2025
and WMP(MD)No.8031 and 8036 of 2025
T.K.Pattammal ...Petitioner
Vs.
1. The Principal Secretary to the Government,
School Education Department,
Fort. St. George, Chennai – 600 009.

2. The Additional Chief Secretary to the Government,
Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department,
Fort. St. George, Chennai – 600 009.

3. The Director of Social Defence / Child Welfare &
Special Service Department,
Department of Social Defence,
No.300, Purasaivakkam High Road,
Kellys, Chennai – 600 010.

4. The Superintendent,
Government Childeren Home,
Thanjavur City – 613 007,
Thanjavur District.

5. The Accountant General (Accounts and Entitlements),
No.361, Anna Salai, Teynampet,
Chennai – 600 018. ...Respondents

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W.P(MD)No.10753 of 2025

Prayer: Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the Constitution
of India, in the nature of a writ of Certiorarified Mandamus calling
for the records pertaining to the impugned order passed by the 3rd
respondent in No. DSD/1145/2023-A2/I/244405/2025 dated
24.02.2025 and quash the same as illegal and unconstitutional and
consequently directing the respondents to award the Selection Grade
Pay/Special Grade pay to the petitioner as per G.O.Ms. No.216,
Finance (Pay Cell) Department dated 22.03.1993 and consequently
direct the respondents to revise payment of pension payable to the
petitioner.
For Petitioner : Mr.C.Gangai Amaran

For R1 to R4 : Mr.Amjadkhan
Government Advocate

For R5 : Mrs. S.Mahalakshmi

ORDER

This writ petition is filed to quash the impugned order dated

21.02.2025 and for consequential direction to the respondents to

award Selection Grade Pay/Special Grade pay to the petitioner as

per G.O.Ms. No.216, Finance (Pay Cell) Department dated

22.03.1993 and to revise payment of pension payable to the

petitioner.

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2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and

Mr.Amjadkhan, learned Government Advocate appearing for the

respondents 1 to 4 and Mrs.Mahalakshmi, learned Standing counsel

appearing for the fifth respondent and perused the materials available on

record.

3. The petitioner initially appointed as Binding Instructor at the

Government School, Thanjavur District. On completion of 10 years, she

is entitled to get selection grade and she was granted selection grade of

pay on 24.01.1988 and special grade of pay on 24.01.1998. Thereafter,

she retired from service on 31.10.2002. While dispensing the

selection/special grade pay, the Government granted separate scale of

pay of Rs.1440-2600 for Headmasters in Primary School and Rs.

1200-2040 for Secondary Grade Teachers. This disparity had caused

prejudice to the Secondary Grade Teachers. In view of the same, the

petitioner submitted a representation stating that she is also a similarly

placed person.

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4. In view of the various representations made, the

Government has passed the Government Order in G.O.(Ms).No.216,

Finance and Pay Cell Department, dated 22.03.1993, introducing

uniform scale of pay for all the Secondary Grade Teachers. One

N.Govindarajan filed an Original Application before the Tamil Nadu

Administrative Tribunal for claiming benefits under the Government

Order in G.O.(Ms).No.216, Finance and Pay Cell Department, dated

22.03.1993 and by order dated 07.10.1998, the Tribunal allowed the

Original Application and gave a direction to the authorities to fix the

scale of pay in terms of the Government Order in G.O.(Ms).No.216,

Finance and Pay Cell Department, dated 22.03.1993. After a lapse of

nearly nine years, the Government has filed a Writ Petition before this

Court in W.P.No.8747 of 2009 challenging the correctness of the order

passed by the Tribunal. By order, dated 14.07.2009, this Court dismissed

the Writ Petition on the ground of delay and laches with costs of Rs.

10,000/- and this Court directed the Government authorities to comply

with the order of the Tribunal. Aggrieved over the same, the Government

has filed SLP (Civil) C.C.No.2746 of 2010 before the Hon’ble Supreme

Court and the same was also dismissed. Consequently, the Government

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was constrained to pass G.O.(Ms).No.258, dated 06.09.2010 for granting

relief to the above said individual, viz., N.Govindarajan, who had filed

the petition before the Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal. Various

Government Orders and amendments came to be passed subsequently in

view of many litigations filed in this regard. Finally, the Full Bench of

the High Court in the case of Government of Tamil Nadu vs.

G.Eswaran reported in 2017 (2) MLJ 257 granted relief to one

individual and directed the State Government to revise the pension for

those who retired from service and revised the family pension in respect

to those, who expired, based on the revised scale of pay in terms of the

Government Order in G.O.(Ms).No.216, Finance and Pay Cell

Department, dated 22.03.1993 payable on or before 01.03.2017.

5. Subsequent Government Orders have been passed for

complying the orders of this Court by issuance of the Government Order

in G.O.(Ms).No.90, dated 09.05.2018 and vide Letter No.4636/SANA.

8(2)/2018-5, dated 08.07.2020. Since the petitioner is also the

beneficiary of the above said judgment, she filed the present Writ

Petition to consider her request for revision of the pensionary benefits in

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terms of the Government Order in G.O. (Ms).No.216, Finance and Pay

Cell Department, dated 22.03.1993.

6. In the above said circumstances, the petitioner sent a

detailed representation to the respondents and requested for extending

the benefit for payment of selection/special grade to Teachers as per the

directions of this Court. The petitioner submitted a fresh representation

on 17.10.2024 requesting to extend the said benefits. But the same has

been rejected by the impugned order dated 21.02.2025 contending that

only those persons who have approached the High Court on or before

09.12.2016 are only eligible for the benefits. Being aggrieved over the

said rejection order passed by the third respondent, this writ petition is

filed.

7. The learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that

there is no fault at any point of time on the part of the petitioner for

rejection of her request for payment of selection/special grade as was

paid to similarly placed persons. It is further contended that when a

particular set of employees are given relief of any order passed by this

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Court, the same can be extended to other identically situated persons and

they should be treated alike by extending the same benefits. It is not done

so far. The same would amount to discrimination and violative of

Article14 of the Constitution of India and sought to quash the impugned

order.

8. Mr.T.Amjadkhan, learned Government Advocate appearing

for the respondents submitted that in the Full Bench Judgment itself, the

cut off date has been fixed as 09.12.2016 and further stated that, no fresh

Writ Petition would be entertained from 09.12.2016. However, the

Government while reintroducing selection grade/special grade with

improved scale of pay and issued G.O.(Ms).No.304, Finance (Pay

Commission) Department, dated 28.03.1990, permitting selection grade

pay and special grade pay to all intermediate teachers, who are working

in Higher Secondary Schools.

9. However, in a Writ Appeal filed before this Court in

W.A.No.3290 of 2019, the Division Bench of this Court has passed an

order on 23.09.2019 and held that when a particular set of employees are

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given relief by the Court, all other identically situated persons should be

treated alike by extending the same benefit, as not doing so would

amount to discrimination and be violative of Article 14 of the

Constitution of India. The relevant portions in the said judgment are

extracted hereunder:

“11. It is held therein that when a particular set of employees is given relief by Court, all other identically identically situated persons should be treated alike by extending the same benefit, since not doing so would mean amount to discrimination and be violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

12. In the light of the above discussion and decisions considered, appellant is entitled to the relief granted at Paragraph No.38 of the order of the Hon’ble Full Bench in Government of Tamil Nadu Vs. G.Eswaran, reported in 2017 (1) CWC 561 and benefit of 7/11 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.(MD)Nos.

10189 of 2023 and batch G.O.(Ms).No.90, School Education 3(1) Department, dated 09.05.2018.”

10. Having considered the submissions of the respective

counsels and on careful perusal of the materials available on record, this

Court is of the considered opinion that the issue involved in the present

writ petition is no longer res-integra. On several occasions, this Court

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dealt this issue in several writ petitions. By order dated 26.07.2024 in

WP(MD)No.10189 of 2023 and batch, this Court considered the same

issue and held that the petitioners therein are entitled for the benefits on

par with the similarly situated persons. The relevant portion of the said

order is extracted herein under:

“7. Subsequent Government Orders have been passed for complying the orders of this Court by issuance of the Government Order in G.O.(Ms).No.90, dated 09.05.2018 and vide Letter No. 4636/SANA.8(2)/2018-5, dated 08.07.2020. Since the petitioners are also the beneficiaries of the above said judgment, they have filed these Writ Petitions to consider their request for revision of the pensionary benefits in terms of the Government Order in G.O. (Ms).No.216, Finance and Pay Cell Department, dated 22.03.199”

11. In the light of the aforesaid discussion, this Court finds that

the reasons stated in the impugned order is unsustainable and

accordingly it is liable to be quashed.

12. Accordingly, this writ petition is allowed with the

following directions:

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i) The impugned order passed by the third respondent in No. DSD/1145/2023-A2/I/244405/2025 dated 21.02.2025 is hereby quashed;

ii)The third respondent shall re-submit the revised pension proposal of the petitioner;

iii)The respondents are directed to award selection grade/special grade pay to the petitioner as per G.O. (Ms.)No.216, Finance (Pay Cell) Department, dated 22.03.1993; and

iv) The respondents are further directed to revise the payment of pension payable to the petitioner within a period of six weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.

There shall be no order as to costs.

Consequently, connected miscellaneous petitions are closed.





                                                                                                       21.04.2025

                     Index          : Yes / No
                     NCC            : Yes / No
                     CM









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                     To,

1. The Principal Secretary to the Government, School Education Department, Fort. St. George, Chennai – 600 009.

2. The Additional Chief Secretary to the Government, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, Fort. St. George, Chennai – 600 009.

3. The Director of Social Defence / Child Welfare & Special Service Department, Department of Social Defence, No.300, Purasaivakkam High Road, Kellys, Chennai – 600 010.

4. The Superintendent, Government Childeren Home, Thanjavur City – 613 007, Thanjavur District.

5. The Accountant General (Accounts and Entitlements), No.361, Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai – 600 018.

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BATTU DEVANAND, J.

and WMP(MD)No.8031 and 8036 of 2025

21.04.2025

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