Topic
Equal pay under Indian law ensures that workers performing the same duties receive identical remuneration, regardless of employment status or gender, as mandated by Article 39(d) of the Constitution and judicial precedents.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that government employees on probation are entitled to the full minimum pay of their pay scale, not a reduced stipend of 70-90%. The order quashes the state’s circular and mandates payment of arrears with 6% interest, reinforcing equal pay rights for probationers under Article 14 and service jurisprudence.
Bombay High Court Aurangabad Bench rules that contractual ambulance drivers under the National Health Mission with over 14 years of service must be paid at the regular pay scale and considered for regularization, reinforcing the principle of equal pay for equal work. The judgment mandates compliance with the State Government Resolution dated 04/12/2024, ensuring wage parity and procedural fairness for long-term contractual employees.
Allahabad High Court directs the Forest Department to pay daily wagers a minimum wage of Rs. 18,000 per month under the 7th Pay Commission, with arrears dating back to April 2018, relying on precedents in Sabha Shankar Dube and Mohan Swaroop. The ruling underscores the binding nature of judicial directives on minimum wage compliance for contractual workers in government service.
The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that once a Board of Directors' decision on executive pay parity is affirmed by courts and upheld by the Supreme Court, it becomes binding and cannot be nullified by subordinate management. This ruling reinforces that administrative delay or resistance to settled judicial outcomes violates the principle of rule of law and entitles employees to immediate implementation.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court ruled that the State’s judicial admission of similarity to the Sant Ram precedent obligates it to regularize daily wage workers after eight years of service, regardless of a pending Supreme Court status quo order. The decision reinforces the binding nature of judicial admissions in service law and ensures equal treatment for similarly situated employees.
Punjab and Haryana High Court holds that contractual employees under Samagra Shiksha Project cannot be deprived of DA due to fiscal mismatch between Central and UT authorities.
Gauhati High Court rules that delay and laches cannot bar claims for continuing wrongs in pay fixation disputes, affirming equal pay for equal work principle under service law.