Pre-grant-in-aid service counts for notional pay fixation and pensionary benefits, but not salary arrears.

The petitioners, teaching and non-teaching employees of aided educational institutions, sought a direction to count their service from their respective appointment dates, including service before their posts were admitted to grant-in-aid, for pay fixation and consequential service benefits.

They relied on the decision in W.A. No. 2476/2015 and connected matters, dated 24 July 2026.

The State submitted that the relief available was confined by the appellate judgment’s clarification in paragraph 61.

Whether service rendered before a post’s admission to grant-in-aid must be counted for notional pay fixation and consequential service benefits.

Whether employees may claim salary arrears or other monetary benefits from the State for the pre-grant period.

The Court applied the clarification in paragraph 61 of the judgment in W.A. No. 2476/2015 and connected matters.

Under that clarification, service during the non-grant period is to be counted for notional pay fixation as at the date the post enters grant-in-aid, and for consequential benefits such as pension and other service benefits; it does not entitle employees to salary arrears or other monetary benefits from the State for that period.

The clarification relied on Annexure-I of the Rules, 1999, which places responsibility for salary and other benefits until admission to grant-in-aid on the institution’s management.

The Court accepted the State’s submission that the scope of relief was governed by paragraph 61 of the appellate judgment.

It therefore distinguished recognition of pre-grant service for notional and consequential benefits from any claim against the State for salary or monetary arrears during that period.

Applying that distinction, it directed the relevant authorities to reckon the petitioners’ service from their appointment dates for notional pay fixation and calculation of pension and other service benefits.

Respondents 1, 2 and 4 to 10 were directed to reckon the petitioners’ pre-grant service for notional pay fixation and calculation of pension and other service benefits, consistently with paragraph 61 of the appellate judgment.

The authorities were to complete that exercise within six months.