Academic grade pay claims must be examined, with eligible teachers paid from their respective eligibility dates.

The 20 petitioners, serving as Assistant Professors in various government colleges in Chhattisgarh, sought payment of Academic Grade Pay and consequential arrears from the State authorities and the University Grants Commission.

The petitioners submitted that the issue was identical to that decided by a Co-ordinate Bench in Lokmani Yadav & Ors. v. State of Chhattisgarh & Ors. , WPS No. 3307 of 2024 and connected matters, decided on 25 June 2024.

The State and UGC did not oppose the limited relief sought.

Whether the petitioners’ claim for Academic Grade Pay and arrears should be considered in accordance with the directions issued in Lokmani Yadav .

Whether the State should constitute a committee to examine each petitioner’s eligibility for Academic Grade Pay and grant the benefit from the date of eligibility, if found entitled.

The Court applied the directions issued in Lokmani Yadav & Ors. v. State of Chhattisgarh & Ors. , WPS No. 3307 of 2024, particularly paragraph 8.

Under that principle, the Secretary, Higher Education Department, must constitute a committee, if not already constituted, to examine the individual eligibility of the petitioners for Academic Grade Pay. The committee must undertake the exercise within three months of its constitution, and eligible petitioners must be paid Academic Grade Pay from the dates on which they became eligible.

Since the petitioners asserted that their case was identical to that in Lokmani Yadav , and the respondents raised no objection to disposal on that basis, the Court adopted the earlier Co-ordinate Bench’s directions.

The Court did not itself determine the individual eligibility of any petitioner; instead, it directed that the petitioners’ grievances be examined by the competent committee. The benefit would follow only if a petitioner was found to be similarly situated and individually eligible for Academic Grade Pay.

The State was required to constitute a committee, if necessary, through the Secretary, Higher Education Department, to determine the petitioners’ eligibility. If the petitioners were found to be similarly situated and eligible, their claims for Academic Grade Pay and arrears were to be considered and paid from the dates of eligibility, in accordance with the directions contained in paragraph 8 of Lokmani Yadav .