Hemangi Shaligram Patil and Others v. the State of Maharashtra through Its Secretary and Others
Case brief
What is this about?
Ekstar / one step promotional pay scale; tribal and PESA area employees; Zilla Parishad (Nandurbar) and private-institution employees; Maharashtra Government Resolutions dated 06.08.2002, 14.08.2008 and 29.02.2024; salary with arrears; scrutiny before grant of benefit; batch allowance of 23 writ petitions (Nos. 1348, 1358, 261, 4885, 4886, 4887, 4888, 4889, 4890, 4891, 4892, 4893, 4894, 4895, 4900, 4904, 4905, 4906, 5244, 5245, 5246, 5249, 5250 of 2026); Aurangabad Bench; per court (no designated author judge).
What did the court decide?
Writ petitions stand allowed with directions: (i) the Respondent/Education Officer (Secondary), Zilla Parishad, to scrutinize the petitioners' records and the places of their deployment within 30 days, considering the Government Resolution dated 29.02.2024 and/or any other relevant Government Resolution; (ii) cases with no legal impediment after verification to be cleared, and the one-step pay-scale salary benefits (with arrears and current salary) payable to employees working in Tribal and PESA areas to be paid within 30 days thereafter; (iii) petitioners found ineligible on scrutiny to be issued notice so as to appear before the authority and address it; (iv) such hearing to be completed within 120 days, whereafter an appropriate order is to be passed granting one-step pay-scale benefits to those found eligible; (v) petitioners suffering an adverse order to be at liberty to avail a statutory remedy permissible in law, in light of the Government Resolution dated 29.02.2024 issued by the General Administration Department and/or any other relevant Government Resolution.