Daljit Singh & others vs Punjab School Education Board & another

Counsel for the petitioner has not come present.

However, pleadings on record have been perused.

It has been averred that the petitioners herein, who are six in

number belong to the general category and had joined the respondent/

Punjab School Education Board as Junior Scale Stenographer on different

dates in the year 1992. One Smt. Mandeep Kaur d/o Mohinder Singh, who

belong to the SC category was appointed as Junior Scale Stenographer on

15.07.1994 and was thus junior to the petitioners in the cadre of Junior

Scale Stenographers. However, by virtue of the benefit of reservation, Smt.

Mandeep Kaur was promoted as Senior Scale Stenographer on 24.04.2000.

Petitioners on the other hand, who belong to the general category were

promoted as Senior Scale Stenographers as per their turn on different dates

between the years 2009-12.

By applying the ''catch up'' principle as enunciated in the

judgement of the Hon''ble Supreme Court of India in Ajit Singh Janjua &

others Vs. State of Punjab & others, 1999 (4) RSJ 211, all the petitioners

were declared senior to Smt. Mandeep Kaur in the cadre of Senior Scale

Stenographers.

The relief sought in the instant petition was for their salary/pay

to be step up at par with smt. Mandeep Kaur, who was otherwise junior to

the petitioners in the cadre of Junior Scale Stenographers and had been

promoted as Senior Scale Stenographer prior in point of time by virtue of

her belonging to the SC category.

Mr. Surajpreet Kaang, Advocate upon instructions from Sh.

Ranjodh Singh, Law Officer, Punjab School Education Board makes a

statement at the bar that pay parity has been granted to the petitioners herein

with Smt. Mandeep Kaur and even actual arrears for a period of three years

prior to the date of service of the legal notice dated 28.01.2015 issued on

behalf of the petitioners have already been released.

In the light of such categoric stand taken on behalf of the

Punjab School Education Board, the writ petition is disposed of as having

been rendered infructuous.