Authority directed to decide representation seeking pay parity for candidates whose joining was administratively delayed.

The applicants participated in a recruitment process initiated in 2014 for positions under the Directorate of Education, GNCTD

Although their batchmates and juniors joined service in 2018, the applicants’ appointments were delayed until November 10, 2020, because the respondents required additional time to verify the applicants' degrees

While the respondents assigned the applicants appropriate seniority, their pay was not fixed at par with their batchmates who joined earlier

Consequently, the applicants sought the benefit of pay fixation based on their merit and notional seniority

The applicants submitted a legal notice dated March 17, 2026, and a representation dated March 25, 2026, which remained pending before the respondents at the time of filing this Original Application (OA)

Whether the respondents should be directed to consider and decide the pending representations of the applicants regarding pay re-fixation at par with their batchmates through a reasoned and speaking order

The court applied the administrative principle that when a civil servant submits a representation regarding service benefits (such as pay fixation and notional seniority), the competent authority is duty-bound to dispose of such claims by passing a reasoned and speaking order within a reasonable timeframe

The Tribunal noted that the applicants’ late joinder was not due to their own fault but stemmed from the respondents' delay in scrutinizing academic records

The applicants argued that despite being granted appropriate seniority, the denial of pay parity with their juniors—who were recruited through the same 2014 process—constituted a grievance that required administrative redressal

During the hearing, the applicants limited their prayer to a direction for the respondents to decide their pending representation

The respondents' counsel raised no objection to this limited prayer

Consequently, the Tribunal determined that a time-bound direction to the respondents to pass a speaking order would suffice to address the procedural requirements of the case without necessitating an immediate adjudication on the merits

It directed the respondents to decide the applicants’ representation dated March 25, 2026, and the legal notice dated March 17, 2026, by passing a reasoned and speaking order

This order must be issued within a stipulated period of eight weeks from the date of receipt of a certified copy of the judgment

No costs were awarded