Absorbed Panchayat teachers are ineligible for Kramonnati Vetanmaan benefits under School Education Department service circulars.

The petitioners, working as Teachers (L.B.) in various government schools in District Bastar, filed this writ petition seeking the benefit of Kramonnati Vetanmaan (Time Pay Scale) upon the completion of 10 years of service.

They based their claim on a State Government circular dated 10.03.2017 and the Division Bench judgment in Smt. Sona Sahu v. State of Chhattisgarh (W.A. No. 261 of 2023).

The respondents opposed the petition, contending that the petitioners were originally appointed by the Janpad Panchayat under the Panchayat Department and were only absorbed into the Education Department on 30.06.2018.

Consequently, the State argued they were not regular employees of the School Education Department during the period for which the benefit was claimed.

The petitioners did not dispute their initial appointment under the Panchayat Department or the existence of a prior adverse ruling by a coordinate bench in WPS No. 11009 of 2025.

1. Whether the petitioners, as employees originally appointed under the Panchayat Department and later absorbed into the School Education Department, are entitled to the benefit of Kramonnati Vetanmaan under the circular dated 10.03.2017.

The Court primarily applied the eligibility criteria stipulated in the State Government’s Circular dated 10.03.2017 regarding the grant of time-bound pay scales.

It further relied on the statutory distinction between teachers governed by the Panchayat Raj Adhiniyam, 1993, and regular teachers of the School Education Department.

The Court followed the judicial precedent set by a coordinate bench in WPS No. 11009 of 2025, which established that shikshakarmis absorbed under the 30.06.2018 policy do not fulfill the criteria for Kramonnati as defined in the 2017 circular.

The Court's reasoning centered on the legal status of the petitioners prior to their absorption into the School Education Department.

It observed that until their absorption pursuant to the policy dated 30.06.2018, the petitioners were classified as shikshakarmis (specifically Assistant Teacher/Teacher/Lecturer Panchayat) and were governed by separate service rules framed under the Panchayat Raj Adhiniyam, 1993.

The Court noted that the benefit of Kramonnati Vetanmaan under the circular dated 10.03.2017 is reserved for regular teachers of the School Education Department.

Since the petitioners’ service under the Panchayat Department did not equate to regular service in the School Education Department for the purpose of the 2017 circular, the Court found they did not meet the essential criteria for the relief sought.

The Court highlighted that this identical issue had already been resolved against similarly situated employees in a batch of petitions led by WPS No. 11009 of 2025.

The Court ruled that the petitioners’ case was identical to the facts in WPS No. 11009 of 2025 (decided on 24.11.2025), and therefore, the petition was dismissed in accordance with the terms of that previous order.

No relief was granted regarding the arrears of pay or interest.