Authorities must consider verified claims for First Time Bound Pay Scale under the 2012 Circular.

The six petitioners were initially appointed as daily-wage Gangmen and were subsequently regularized by the respondent authorities as Labourers under the work-charge and contingency-paid establishment.

They claimed that, despite completing ten years of service, they were not granted the benefit of the First Time Bound Pay Scale under the applicable State Government circular dated 4 May 2012.

The petitioners had subsequently retired upon attaining the age of superannuation and asserted that similarly situated employees had received the benefit.

They therefore sought directions for grant of the first-time scale and interest on delayed payment.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners requested permission to submit representations for consideration by the authorities.

1. Whether the petitioners were entitled to the benefit of the First Time Bound Pay Scale under the State Government Circular dated 4 May 2012, based on their appointment, regularization, and length of service.

2. Whether the respondent authorities should be directed to consider the petitioners’ representations, including their claim for interest on delayed payment, after verifying the relevant service facts.

The Court applied the State Government’s Circular dated 4 May 2012 governing entitlement to the First Time Bound Pay Scale.

The Court did not finally determine the petitioners’ substantive entitlement; instead, it adopted the administrative-remedy principle that the competent authorities must examine a service-benefit claim after verifying the employee’s appointment, regularization, length of service, and other relevant facts.

Any decision was required to be made in accordance with law.

The petitioners’ claim depended on factual verification of their dates and terms of appointment, regularization as Labourers, completion of the requisite period of service, and applicability of the 4 May 2012 Circular.

Since these matters had not been adjudicated by the competent authorities, and the State expressed willingness to consider the claim subject to verification, the Court declined to grant the pay-scale benefit directly.

It instead considered it appropriate to permit the petitioners to submit detailed representations and directed the authorities to determine their entitlement in accordance with the Circular and applicable law.

The petitioners were granted liberty to submit representations, along with details of their appointment and regularization, within 30 days.

Upon receipt, the respondent authorities were directed to verify the cases and pass appropriate orders regarding entitlement to the First Time Bound Pay Scale under the Circular dated 4 May 2012 within five months.