Citation : 2026 Latest Caselaw 3314 Raj
Judgement Date : 26 February, 2026
[2026:RJ-JD:10583]
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT
JODHPUR
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 4099/2026
1. Madanpal S/o Shri Jagdish Chandra, Aged About 43
Years, R/o, Dungrana Tehsil- Bhadra District-
Hanumangarh Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
2. Ramakant Sharma S/o Shri Trilok Chand Sharma, Aged
About 36 Years, R/o, Vpo- Bassi Naga, Via- Kalwar, Tehsil-
Jobner, Dist. Jaipur, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As
School Lecturer Sanskrit.
3. Ravi Kant Sharma S/o Shri Trilok Chand, Aged About 37
Years, R/o, Vpo -Bassi Naga, Via -Kalwar, Tehsil - Jobner,
Dist. Jaipur, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
4. Anju Sharma D/o Shri Brijvallabh Sharma, Aged About 46
Years, R/o 134, Yash Vihar, Sogariya Road, Kota
Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
5. Dharmendra Kumar Verma S/o Shri Sheesh Ram Verma,
Aged About 35 Years, R/o V.p.o Kotkasim, Khariyaan
Mohalla, Tehsil. Kotkasim, District. Khairthal- Tijara
Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
6. Teena Choudhary D/o Shri Balu Ram Choudhary, Aged
About 34 Years, R/o G-01 Shneha Residency Kirti Sagar
Near Bharat Mata Circul, Mangyawas Mansarover Jaipur,
Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
7. Hemlata Meena D/o Shri Matadeen Meena, Aged About 32
Years, R/o, Village- Roopukabas, Tehsil -Thanagazi,
District- Alwar, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
8. Satish Kumar Yadav S/o Shri Sujan Singh Yadav, Aged
About 42 Years, R/o, Village- Dawani, Post- Budhwal,
Tehsil- Behror. District- Kotputli- Behror, Rajasthan.
Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
9. Mukesh Meena S/o Shri Ramsahay Meena, Aged About 39
Years, R/o. Village- Jatlav. Post Gugarod Teh. Mitrapura
Sawai Madhopur Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
10. Mukut Bihari Meena S/o Shri Prahlad Meena, Aged About
41 Years, R/o, Village And Post Gumanpura Via Talera,
Tehsil And Dist Bundi, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As
School Lecturer Sanskrit.
11. Anita Yadav D/o Shri Sundar Lal Yadav, Aged About 31
Years, R/o, Vpo -Bhoopsera Teh. Bansur Dist Kotputli
Behror, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School Lecturer
Sanskrit.
12. Chetana Mangal D/o Shri Ramavtar Mangal, Aged About
36 Years, R/o Near Panchayat Bhawan Kumhar Mohalla,
Banasthali District- Tonk, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As
School Lecturer Sanskrit.
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13. Bheem Chand Mahawar S/o Shri Nathu Lal Mahawar,
Aged About 39 Years, R/o V/p Mamdoli, Tehsil- Bonli
District -Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As
School Lecturer Sanskrit.
14. Meghraj Bairwa S/o Shri Kajod Mal Bairwa, Aged About 41
Years, R/o Sukar Bamanwas District- Sawai Madhopur,
Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
15. Girraj Prasad Meena S/o Shri Ramswaroop Meena, Aged
About 42 Years, R/o Village And Post- Peepalda, Tehsil-
Mitrapura. District-S Awai Madhopur, Rajasthan. Presently
Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
16. Satya Narayan Basiwal S/o Shri Kailash Chand Basiwal,
Aged About 38 Years, Village- Dhola Danta Derathu Post-
Bhatiyani Teh- Nasirabad District -Ajmer Rajasthan.
Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit
17. Parvati Devi D/o Shri Bhani Ram, Aged About 39 Years,
R/o Vpo- Bhagwansar, Po.-Chunawadh District- Sri
Ganganagar Rajasthan Presently Posted As School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
18. Asha Kanwar D/o Shri Bhanwar Singh, Aged About 41
Years, R/o Near Sodha Kirana Store, Indira Colony,
Bikaner, Rajasthan Presently Posted As School Lecturer
Sanskrit.
19. Ashok Kumar Khati S/o Shri Ramswaroop Khati, Aged
About 36 Years, R/o Village- Dhuan Khurd, Post- Dhuan
Kalan, Tehsil - Dooni, District Tonk, Rajasthan Presently
Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
20. Anju Sharma D/o Shri Satyanarayan Sharma, Aged About
40 Years, R/o Durga Niketan, Shiv Mandir Ke Pass,
Shivbari, Bikaner, Rajasthan. Presently Posted As School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
21. Shiv Naresh Agrawal S/o Shri Makkhan Lal Agrawal, Aged
About 39 Years, R/o Mohalla- Khateri, Neem Ka Than
Road, Ward No- 14, Shahpura, Tehsil- Shahpura, District-
Jaipur, Rajasthan Presently Posted As School Lecturer
Sanskrit.
22. Suresh Kumar Meena S/o Shri Kajor Mal Meena, Aged
About 49 Years, R/o Village- Jonla, Via-Bhagwatgarh
Tehsil- Chauth Ka Barwara, District- Sawai Madhopur,
Rajasthan Presently Posted As School Lecturer Sanskrit.
23. Balram Gurjar S/o Shri Kanchan Gurjar, Aged About 35
Years, R/o Village And Post Udganv, Tehsil- Mitrapura,
District- Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan Presently Posted As
School Lecturer Sanskrit.
24. Pushpa Patidar D/o Shri Vinayak Prasad Patidar, Aged
About 38 Years, R/o Vpo- Jogpur Tehsil- Jaliyacot,
District- Dungarpur, Rajasthan. Presently Posted School
Lecturer Sanskrit.
----Petitioners
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Versus
1. State Of Rajasthan, Through The Secretary, Department
Of Education, Government Of Rajasthan, Jaipur,
Rajasthan.
2. The Director, Secondary Education, Bikaner, District
Bikaner, Rajasthan.
----Respondents
For Petitioner(s) : Mr. M.L. Deora
For Respondent(s) : Mr. N.K. Mehta, Dy.G.C. with
Mr. Bhupesh Charan
Mr. Piyush Bhandari for
Dr. Praveen Khandelwal, AAG
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE CHANDRA SHEKHAR SHARMA
Order
26/02/2026
1. At the request of and with the consent of learned counsel for
the parties, the matter has been taken up and heard for final
disposal at the admission stage itself.
2. The present writ petition has been filed challenging the
action of the respondents in discriminating the pay-scale of the
petitioners vis-a-vis other employees recruited in the same
recruitment process who have been granted higher pay-scale on
the ground that they have joined before the cut-off date for
joining; however, the petitioners joined later to the cut-off date.
3. The facts of the present case discloses that the petitioners
along with other candidates were selected to the post of School
Lecturers in pursuance of the advertisement issued by the
respondent - authorities in the year 2015. The respondent
authorities have issued different appointment orders to the
various candidates selected in the recruitment process to the post
of School Lecturers (Sanskrit). The appointment orders were
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issued on 23.06.2017, 27.06.2017 and 28.06.2017. The petitioner
in the present case was issued appointment order on 28.06.2017.
4. The grievance of the petitioners is that all the appointment
orders were issued prior to the last cut-off date for joining, i.e.
10.07.2017. Though the appointment orders were given on
23.06.20217, 27.06.2017 and 28.06.2017, he has joined after
cut-off date i.e. 30.06.2017 but prior to the last cut-off date for
joining i.e. 10.07.2017 in the post of School Lecturer (Sanskrit) in
various schools. However, such later joining of the petitioners was
within the last cut-off date for joining (i.e. 10.07.2017) fixed by
the respondent - authorities.
5. The School Lecturers who have obtained the appointment
orders either on 23.06.20217, 27.06.2017 and 28.06.2017 and
who have joined their services prior to 30.06.2017, they were
granted one additional annual grade increment while fixing their
salary and they are drawing higher pay scale. However, the
present petitioners were granted one annual grade increment less
than that granted to the other persons on the ground that they
have joined their services after 30.06.2017.
6. The learned counsel appearing for the petitioners submits
that there cannot be any unequal fixation of the pay among the
persons who were selected in the same recruitment process on
the same post, basing on the date of their joining. The
respondents are required to adopt the date of first joining of the
employee or the last cut-off date as mentioned by the
respondent- authorities in order to be granted equal annual grade
increments to all persons appointed in the same recruitment. It is
also submitted that there cannot be any discrimination between
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the employees who have joined their services prior to 30.06.2017
and subsequent to such cut-off date for fixation of the pay by the
respondent - authorities. Such an unequal fixation of pay among
the employees of the same recruitment process and on the very
same post violates their fundamental right enshrined under Article
14 of the Constitution of India.
7. The learned counsel appearing for the respondents try to
justify the action of the respondents in fixation of the unequal pay
on account of grant of one additional increment. According to him,
the employees who have joined their services prior to 30.06.2017
were required to be given one additional increment. However, the
persons who have joined their service subsequent to 30.06.2017,
they were granted one less increment. It is also submitted that
such granting of different increments is in consonance with the
Circular issued by the Department of Finance. They tried to justify
the action of the respondents by placing reliance on the circular
issued by the Finance Department.
8. Having considered the above contentions advanced by the
learned counsel for both the parties, the undisputed facts in the
present case are that the all the School Lecturers were selected
and appointed in the same selection process in pursuance of the
same advertisement for the post of School Lecturers. However,
they were issued different appointment orders i.e. on
23.06.20217, 27.06.2017 and 28.06.2017.
9. Unequal pay fixation was the result of adopting of two
different joining dates by the respondents. The persons who have
joined their service prior to 30.06.2017 were granted one
additional increment whereas, the present petitioners, who have
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joined their services subsequent to 30.06.2017, were granted one
increment less than the other group of employees.
10. The procedure adopted by the respondents is contrary to the
established principles of service jurisprudence. The candidates
who have been selected, appointed and joined their services in the
same recruitment process pursuant to the very same
advertisement on the same post of School Lecturers but their
appointment order were issued on different dates and they joined
their services prior to 30.06.2017 and subsequent to 30.06.2017
but before the last cut-off date for joining i.e. 10.07.2017, they
cannot be discriminated in the matter of fixation of pay. This Court
is of the view that the respondents should have adopted either the
first date of joining or the last date of joining with regard to the
same recruitment process so as to extend the benefit of annual
grant of grade increments. They cannot adopt two different dates
of joining for extending the benefit of annual grade increments
among the candidates in the same recruitment process.
11. The learned counsel appearing for the respondents tried to
justify the action of the respondents in extending unequal benefit
of granting one annual grade increment is mainly based on the
Circular issued by the Department of Finance dated 30.09.2017. A
perusal of the Circular makes it clear the same is contrary to the
settled/established principles of law and also against the spirit of
Article 14 of the Constitution of India. There cannot be two
different dates of joining for the purpose of granting of increments
to the employees selected and appointed in the same recruitment
process. Such discrimination committed by the respondents is
unsustainable even if the same is based on the circular of the
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Finance Department. The respondents should have ignored the
provisions of the Circular in the matter of granting annual grade
increments.
12. The respondents should have adopted first date of joining or
last date of joining so as to grant annual grade increments or any
other date which should be before the last cut-off date for joining
of the employees in the same recruitment process. They cannot be
permitted to adopt two different dates of joining in respect of the
candidates appointed in the same selection process for grant of
increments and fixation of pay-scale.
13. Therefore, the action of the respondents in adopting two
different joining dates for fixation of salary by giving annual grade
increment to one and not to another is, in such circumstances,
illegal and unsustainable.
14. In the result, the writ petition is allowed. The actions of
respondents in unequal fixation of pay among the persons
selected and appointed in the same recruitment process based on
their dates of joining are set aside. The respondents have to treat
all such candidates as a single unit for grant of annual grade
increments whether, they have joined prior to 30.06.2017 or
subsequent to 30.06.2017. Any anomaly arising due to adoption
of such improper dates of joining for the purpose of granting one
annual grade increment among the candidates appointed in the
same recruitment shall be rationalized and shall be corrected. For
this purpose, if any correction is required to be carried out by the
respondents, they may make necessary corrections in their official
records in the matter of grant of annual grade increment after
giving notice to affected parties. The respondents are directed to
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carry out the needful exercise after hearing all the parties
concerned, within a period of one month from the date of receipt
of a copy of this order.
14. All the pending applications, if any, shall stand disposed of.
(CHANDRA SHEKHAR SHARMA),J 308-T.Singh/-
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