Absorbed Panchayat employees are ineligible for time-bound pay scales applicable to regular Government cadres.

The appellants were appointed as Shiksha Karmi Grade-II and Grade-III under the Panchayat Department between 1998 and 2008

They were later regularized within the Panchayat cadre and eventually absorbed into the School Education Department of the State Government effective July 1, 2018, pursuant to a policy decision dated June 30, 2018

The appellants sought the benefit of Kramonnati Vetanman (time-bound pay scale) after completing 10 and 20 years of service, relying on a State Government Circular dated March 10, 2017

They challenged the Single Judge’s order dated November 24, 2025, which dismissed their writ petition (WPS No. 11009/2025) seeking these benefits

A delay of 27 days in filing the appeal was condoned by the Division Bench

1. Whether the teachers originally appointed under the Panchayat Cadre (Shiksha Karmi) are entitled to the benefit of Kramonnati Vetanman under the Circular dated March 10, 2017, for the period of service rendered prior to their absorption into the State Government’s School Education Department

2. Whether the appellants can claim parity with the case of Smt. Sona Sahu (Writ Appeal No. 261/2023) regarding the grant of time-bound pay scales

The Court applied the Circular dated March 10, 2017, issued by the General Administration Department, which grants Kramonnati Vetanman specifically to Assistant Teachers in Government service

It further relied on the Chhattisgarh Panchayat Shiksha Karmi (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2007 and 2012, which distinguish Panchayat employees from State Government servants

The Court also enforced Clauses 4 and 5 of the Absorption Order dated June 30, 2018, which stipulate that all benefits for absorbed employees would be calculated from July 1, 2018, with no entitlement to prior arrears

The Court reasoned that the Circular dated March 10, 2017, applies exclusively to regular Government employees and does not extend to the Panchayat Cadre

The appellants were employees of the Panchayat Department until their formal absorption in 2018; thus, their service conditions were governed by Panchayat rules rather than State Government circulars

The Bench observed that the 2018 absorption policy explicitly barred claims for arrears or seniority-based benefits for the period preceding July 1, 2018

Regarding the reliance on Smt. Sona Sahu, the Court distinguished that case as having "peculiar facts" involving specific circulars from 2011 and 2013 that were later cancelled, a situation not applicable to the present appellants

Following the precedent set in Writ Appeal No. 193/2026, the Court concluded there was no perversity in the Single Judge’s decision to deny the benefits

The Court held that the appellants, having been Panchayat employees prior to 2018, cannot claim the status of Government servants for the purpose of seeking Kramonnati Vetanman under a 2017 circular intended for regular State employees

All service-related benefits for the appellants are to be calculated only from the date of their absorption, i.e., July 1, 2018