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PETITIONER: NARENDRA KUMAR AND ANR.  ETC.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: DHARAM DUTT AND ANR.  ETC.

DATE OF JUDGMENT17/03/1993

BENCH: KASLIWAL, N.M. (J) BENCH: KASLIWAL, N.M. (J) KULDIP SINGH (J)

CITATION:  1993 SCR  (2) 413        1993 SCC  Supl.  (3) 205  JT 1993 (2)   423        1993 SCALE  (2)53

ACT: Constitution of India, Article 39(d)--’Doctrine of equal pay for equal work’--Implementation of--Shiv Shankar Committee’s pay  scales--Extension of to New Delhi  Municipal  Committee staff--Technical   staff   in  electricity  wing   and   the ministerial  staff  in general wing,  electricity  wing  and water   works  wing  granted  benefit--Employees  in   other sections, departments--Whether entitled to equal pay.

HEADNOTE: The  New Delhi Municipal Committee by its  resolution  dated 19.10.  1973  extended  the benefit  of  higher  pay  scales recommended  in  the Shiv Shankar Committee Report,  to  its staff working in the electricity wing.  Following this,  the employees  working  in  the general wing of  the  NDMC  also raised  demand  for granting them the benefit of  those  pay scales.  In the meantime, by its resolution dated  27.6.1978 the  NDMC  constituted,  with  effect  from  1.5.1978,   the electricity   wing   composed  of  28  technical   and   496 ministerial posts and decided to give all of them scales  of pay  as per S.S. Committee’s Report.  In the writ  petitions filed  in  the High Court the ministerial  staff  failed  to receive full relief. This Court in R.D. Gupta & Ors. etc. v. Lt.  Governor, Delhi Administration & Ors. etc., [1987] 3 SCR 808 found that  the entire  ministerial staff in the NDMC constitutes a  unified cadre.   The  ministerial  posts in the  general  wing,  the electricity  wing  and the water works wing  are  interchan- geable  posts  and postings are made from  the  common  pool according  to administrative convenience and  exigencies  of service  and  not  on the basis of any  distinct  policy  or special qualifications.  It was thus held that all  sections of the ministerial staff should be treated alike and all  of them were entitled to the same scales of pay for the work of equal nature done by them. In  order  to extend the benefit of R.D. Gupta’s  case,  the NDMC by its order dated 9.6.1988, revised the pay scales of’ 18 categories of employees who constituted 496 posts forming the electricity cell.  By another order 414 dated  27.7.1988  the  NDMC extended  the  benefit  of  S.S. Committee’s  scales to eight allied categories of  sweepers,

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subsequently,  all  the drivers of the  NDMC  were  extended benefit of R.D. Gupta’s case. On  the  question: whether the petitioners fall  within  the cadre  of ministerial staff or fall in similar cadres  which have  already been granted the benefit of  S.S.  Committee’s pay scales. Disposing of the writ petitions, the Court, HELD:     1.   There   is   no   valid   justification   for discriminating  the  employees of the  Auto  Workshop  which forms a part and parcel of the electricity wing of the NDMC, since the benefit of the pay scales recommended by the  S.S. Committee has been allowed by the NDMC to the 18  categories of employees which include daftry, peon, chowkidar,  sweeper etc. [422D-E] 2.   The NDMC having allowed the benefit of S.S. Committee’s scales  to  rat catchers and dog catchers vide  order  dated 27.7.1988, there is no valid justification for denying  such benefit  to  duplicating machine  operators  and  gunmen/dog shooters.  There is no essential difference in the job  work done  by  gunmen/dog  shooters.   The  post  of  duplicating machine  operators in transferable and interchangeable  from other  class IV employees of the NDMC who have already  been granted  benefit of S.S. Committee’s pay scales  vide  order dated 9.6.1988. [422E] 3.   Both  the posts of Junior Technical  Assistant  (Hindi) and Assistant Store-Keeper are such posts which clearly fall within the ministerial cadre.  They are thus entitled to the benefit of S.S. Committee’s scales. [423B] 4.   The  benefit  of  S.S. Committee’s  pay  scales  having already been extended to the pump drivers in the electricity wing, there is no valid ground or justification to deny such benefit  to  the pump drivers working in the  water  supply, horticulture and civil wings of NDMC. [423C] 5.   The employees of Junior Navyug School run by NDMC  fall in a different cadre altogether and-as such cannot claim the benefit of S.S. Committee’s pay scales on the basis of  R.D. Gupta’s  judgment.  Their posts are not  interchangeable  or transferable from any other post under the NDMC.  The nature and  the duties performed by them are totally different  and they  cannot be granted the benefit of the S.S.  Committee’s pay scales 415 on  the  basis of any equality with the other  employees  of NDMC who have been granted such benefit. [423D-E] 6.   The  telephone operators working in the NDMC fall in  a separate  cadre and their posts are neither  interchangeable nor  transferable with the other members of the  service  in the NDMC.  That apart, the petitioners are trained Telephone Operators and Senior Telephone Operators and as such do  not fall  within the category of ministerial staff and  are  not entitled  to the benefit of S.S. Committee’s pay  scales  on the basis of R.D. Gupta’s case. [423F] 7.   The   respondent-Delhi  Administration  and  NDMC   are directed  to take appropriate steps within three months  and make payment of the entire arrears and grant future  benefit in the pay scales as recommended by S.S. Committee. [424B]

JUDGMENT: ORIGINIAL  JURISDICTION: Writ Petition (Civil) No.3 of  1990 etc. etc. (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India). K.T.S.  Tulsi,  Addl.  Solicitor General,  M.K.  Ramamurthy, Govinda  Mukhoty  and N. Santosh Hegde, Ms.  C.  Ramamurthi,

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M.A. Krishna Moorthy, M.A. Chinnaswamy, H. Subramaniam,  Ms. C.M.  Chopra, A Bhattacharjee, G.S. Chatterjee,  H.K.  Puri, M.P. Jha, Serva Mitter, R.K. Maheshwari, Vineet  Maheshwari, Ms.  Niranjan Singh, B.D. Prasad, K. Swamy and  B.K.  Prasad for the appearing parties. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by KASLIWAL, J. All these cases are an upshot of the case  R.D. Gupta  & Ors. etc. v. Lt.  Governor, Delhi Administration  & Ors. etc., [1987] 3 S.C.R. 808.  It is not necessary for  us to  give the background and history of the  constitution  of the  two  main  civic bodies  namely,  New  Delhi  Municipal Committee (in short ’MDMC’) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi  (in short ’MCD’), in the Union Territory of Delhi  as the  same has already been mentioned in detail in the  above R.D. Gupta’s case (supra).  We would thus mention only  such details which are relevant and necessary for the purpose  of deciding  the above cases.  All the above cages  relate  to- the  employees of the NDMC who are claiming the  benefit  of the  report  of Shiv Shankar Committee (in short  ’SSC’)  in respect of the grant of pay scales 416 as allowed to other employees of NDMC in R.D. Gupta’s case. The  Government  accepted  the  report  of  the  Third   Pay Commission  and  granted pay-scales as  recommended  to  the employees  of  NDMC as well as to the  MCD.   The  technical staff of the Delhi Electricity Supply Undertaking (in  short ’DESU’)  claimed  higher  scales of pay  as  they  were  not satisfied  with the pay-scales recommended by the Third  Pay Commission.   The  Government  therefore  constituted   Shiv Shankar  Committee  to go into the question of  revision  of pay-scales  of  the  technical  staff  of  DESU.   The   SCC submitted its report in 1973 according to which higher  pay- scales  were  allowed to the technical staff of  DESU.   The non-technical/ministerial staff of DESU who were not covered by  the report of the SSC demanded that they should also  be granted  pay-scales  as recommended by the  SSC.   The  DESU considered  the  demand  of the  ministerial  staff  at  its meeting  held  in May 1973 and decided to  revise  the  pay- scales of the non-technical staff also working in DESU. Since the technical as well as the ministerial staff working in the DESU were granted the pay-scales recommended by  SSC, the  NDMC  also. by its resolution No.154  dated  19.10.1973 allowed the benefits of pay-scales as recommended by SSC  to its  staff working in the electricity wing.  In view of  the fact  that the benefit of the SSC pay-scales was granted  by the   NDMC    to  the  ministerial  staff  working  in   the electricity wing only, the employees working in the  general wing of the NDMC also raised a demand for granting them also the benefit o f the pay-scales recommended by  SSC.   Many orders were passed from time to time and writ petitions Were also filed by the concerned parties, but we do not think  it necessary to give the details as the same have been narrated in  R.D. Gupta’s case and we come to the resolution  of  the NDMC dated 27.6.1978 constituting the electricity wing  with effect from 1.5.1978 or such subsequent date as may be fixed composed of 28 posts of pump drivers, two posts of  welders, three posts of carpenters and one post of pump. mechanic and 496  posts  of  ministerial staff and to give  all  of  them scales  of pay as per SS Committee Report.  Three  petitions under  Article 226 of the Constitution viz.  CW  Nos.  1231, 557 and 280 of 1978 were filed in the Delhi High Court.   We are  only  concerned with the grievance of  the  ministerial staff  who  were  claiming to be treated  at  par  with  the ministerial  staff of the electricity win in the  matter  of pay  and allowances.  The ministerial staff in  the  general

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wing having not  received the full relief in the High  Court filed C.A. 2969 of 1973 417 before  this Court.  It was claimed in the said appeal  that instead  of  restricting the payment of  SS  Committee  pay- scales to the 496 ex-cadre posts in the electricity wing and directing  the NDMC to fill up those posts on the  basis  of seniority-cum-option,  the High Court should  have  directed the  NDMC  to give the SS Committee pay-scales  to  all  the members  of  the ministerial staff.  In R.D.  Gupta’s  case, this  Court decided many appeals by a common order,  but  we are  only  concerned with the C.A. No. 2969  of  1983  which relates to the ministerial staff in the general wing of  the NDMC.  It was contended by the appellants in the said appeal that the electricity wing of the NDMC was not a distinct and independent unit entitled to have its own scales of pay  and secondly  the  ministerial staff of the NDMC belonged  to  a unified cadre and the staff members were liable to  transfer from one branch of the NDMC to another and as such the  NDMC cannot  create  a  cadre within a cadre  and  fix  different scales  of  pay for those in the carved out cadre.   It  was also  urged that the nature of the duties performed  by  the ministerial staff in all the three wings of the NDMC is more or  less  similar,  if not identical,  and  hence  the  well established rule of ’equal pay for equal work’ should govern the  staff  members.  This Court in R.D. Gupta’s  case  held that  the grievance of the ministerial staff of the  general wing  was well founded.  The ministerial staff in  the  NDMC constituted a unified cadre.  The recruitment policy for the selection  of the ministerial staff is a common one and  the recruitment  is  also  done by a common  agency.   They  are governed by a common seniority list.  The ministerial  posts in  three  wings  of the NDMC, viz. the  general  wing,  the electricity   wing   and   the   water   works   wing    are interchangeable  posts  and the postings are made  from  the common  pool  according to  administrative  convenience  and exigencies  of service and not on the basis of any  distinct policy or special qualifications.  It was held that it would be  futile  to  say  that merely because  a  member  of  the ministerial   staff  had  been  given  a  posting   in   the electricity  wing, either due to force of  circumstances  or due  to  voluntary,  preferment, he stands on  a  better  or higher  footing or in a more advantageous position than  its counterparts in the general wing.  It was thus held that all sections  of the ministerial staff should be  treated  alike and all of them were entitled to the same scales of pay  for the work of equal nature done by them. After the above decision in R.D. Gupta’s case, the employees of  NDMC  working in different departments  have  filed  the above writ petitions under Article 32 of the Constitution or Civil Miscellaneous Petitions in 418      R.D.  Gupta’s  case which have been  directed  by  this Court  to  be  treated  as Writ  Petitions  by  order  dated 17.11.1989. In all these cases the employees have prayed for granting   the  same  pay-scales  including  the   ex-gratia benefits as was recommended by SSC. Writ Petition No.1 of 1990 has been filed by NDMC  Workship Employees  Association  on behalf of the employees  of  Auto Workship  of  NDMC.   In Writ Petition  No.5  of  1990,  the petitioners are Class IV employees of NDMC holding the posts of  Duplicating Machine Operators and  Gunmen/Dog  Shooters. In  Writ  Petition  No.3  of  1990,  the  petitioners   were initially  appointed  as  Junior  Clerks  and   subsequently promoted to the posts of Junior Technical Assistants (Hindi)

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also knows as Translator (Hindi).  In Writ Petition No.13 of 1990,  the  petitioner is working on the post  of  Assistant Store-Keeper.    In  Writ  Petition  No.292  of  1990,   the petitioners   are   pump  drivers  in  the   water   supply, horticulture  and  civil wings of NDMC.   In  Writ  Petition No.1109 of 1990, the petitioners are the employees of Junior Navyug School run by NDMC.  In Writ Petition No.409 of 1990, the petitioners are working as Telephone Operators under the NDMC. The  short controversy to be decided in the above  cases  is whether the petitioners fall within the cadre of ministerial staff  or  fall in similar cadres which  have  already  been granted  the benefit of SSC pay-scales?  It is no longer  in controversy  now that the ministerial staff working  in  all the wings are also entitled to the same benefit of SSC  pay- scales as has been given to the ministerial staff working in the  electricity  wing  of the NDMC.  It  has  already  been decided  in  R.D. Gupta’s case that the  entire  ministerial staff  in  the  NDMC  constitutes  a  unified  cadre.    The ministerial  post in the three wings of the NDMC  viz.,  the General Wing, the Electricity Wing the the Water Works  Wing are interchangeable posts and the postings are made from the common  pool  according to  administrative  convenience  and exigencies  of service and not on the basis of any  distinct policy or special qualifications. It  may  be further noted that the NDMC itself in  order  to extend  the benefit of R.D. Gupta’s case in a meeting  dated 9.6.1988 resolved as under:-               "IMPLEMENTATION  OF  BENEFIT  OF  S.S.   SCALE               EXTENSION  OF BENEFITS SUPREME COURT  JUDGMENT               SLP. 11270 OF 1982 SHRI R.D. GUPTA               419               AND OTHERS VERSUS LG.  DELHI AND OTHERS.               The  Committee  as per the advice of  the  Law               Deptt.  and the opinion given by our  counsel,               justice  V.D. Mishra on 26.2.1988 had  decided               that  following  categories of  employees  who               constitutes  496 posts created by  the.   NDMC               while forming the Electricity Cell vide  Reso.               passed  on  27.6.1978 should be  extended  the               benefits:-               1.    Office Supdt.               2.    HA/Accountant               3.    Personal Asstt.               4.Sr.  Clear               5.    Stenographers               6. Jr. Clerk               7.    Asstt.  Storekeepers               8.    Adrema Operators               9.    Asstt.  Adrema Operators               10.   Asstt.  Record Keepers               11. Daftry               12. Peon               13.   Bill Collector               14.   Sorter               15.   Ferro Printer               16. Chowkidar               17. Sewerman               18. Sweeper               Accordingly,  the Committee passed  orders  to               extend   the   benefits  vide   orders   dated               26.2.1988 to all the above               420               categories.  These employees have already been               paid a part of the arrears and salaries  under

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             S.S.  Scale.  The CAP while checking  the  pay               fixation have required a formal resolution  of               the   Committee  for  processing  the   cases.               Accordingly,  this is noted to  the  Committee               for  information  in  continuation  of   Reso.               No.26 dated 9.2.1988.               ADMINISTRATOR’S DECISION Information  noted." By  another  order  dated  27.7.1988  the  benefit  of  S.S. Committee’s  scales was extended to the following  cadre  of employees:-                       "NEW DELHI MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE                DATED: 27.7.1988                 OFFICE ORDER               Under  the orders of the  Administrator  dated               18.7.1988  the following allied categories  of               sweepers  are  extended the  benefit  of  S.S.               Scales in terms of Reso.  No.26 dated 9.2.1988 read               with Reso.  No.52 dated 9.6.1988 as they  form               the common cadre of sweepers.               1.    Lorry Belders               2.    Dumping ground beldars                               3. Bhisties               4.    Rat catchers               5.    Verandha Beldars                 6. Hawker Raid Van beldars               7.    Sweepers-cum-chockidars               8.    Dog catchers.                              Sd/- Asstt.  Secy. (Health)               421               Copy to:-               1.    All Estts.: with the request to fix  the               pay  of the above mentioned categories in  the               S.S. Scales.               2. DS (E)               3.    A.S. (AIC)               4.    P.A. to Secy.  NDMC               5. C.A.0.               6.    O.S. (CBS)               7.    Supdt.  A/Cs.               8. File               9.    P.A. to F.A.               10. OS (CE-1) The  case is laid before the Committee of Officers  presided over by the Administrator for consideration and decision  if the  benefit  of Supreme Court Judgment  dated  7.8.1987  be extended to all the Drivers in anticipation of the  approval of  the Lt.  Governor, Delhi and in the anticipation of  the confirmation of the Minutes of the Committee.                   ADMINISTRATOR’S DECISION Resolved  by  the Committee of Officers and decided  by  the Administrator  that benefit of Supreme Court judgment  dated 7th Aug. 87 is extended to all the Drivers of the  Committee in the anticipation of the approval of the L.G. Delhi.   The action  be  taken  in anticipation of  confirmation  of  the minutes of the Committee.’ In  Writ  Petition  No.1  of 1990,  the  contention  of  the petitioners  is that they are employees working in the  Auto Workshop  of  NDMC  which  is  a  part  and  parcel  of  the electricity  establishment  and  their  duties  are   mini-, sterial  in nature.  It has been further contended that  the Auto Workshop’ 422 employees have to work throughout on the ground beneath  the vehicles belonging to all departments whether it belongs  to electricity, water or the administrative staff and they have

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to work for such time till a vehicle is fit for traffic  and have  to  maintain the vehicle not only  for  administrative staff  but also for the electrical, health, water  etc.   It has been further urged that Auto Workshop employees are part and  parcel  of  electrical  wing  and  their  appointments, promotions, pension, salaries, increments, transfers,  main- tenance  of  personal  filing is  done  by  the  electricity establishment.    Moreover,   their  services   are   inter- transferable  such  as  drivers,  cleaners,  helper,   peon, chowkidar,  sweepers, fitters, khalasis working in the  Auto Workshop  can be and are transferred to  other  departments. It  has also been urged that a discriminatory treatment  has been  given  in the case of the petitioners  inasmuch  as  a fitter  which  is a promotional post from  amongst  peon  or chowkidar or sweeper is getting less pay-scale than the peon or  chowkidar and likewise clearner which is  a  promotional post  is getting less pay-scale than a chowkidar,  peon  and sweeper. We  find  force in the submission of  the  petitioners.   As already  mentioned  above  the  benefit  of  the  pay-scales recommended  by the SSC has been allowed to the NDMC to  the 18  categories  of employees which includes,  daftry,  peon, chowkidar,  sweeper etc. and we find no valid  justification for discriminating the employees of the Auto Workshop  which forms a part and parcel of the electricity wing of the NDMC. In Writ Petition No.5 of 1990, the petitioners are Class  IV employees  of  NDMC  holding posts  of  Duplicating  Machine Operators  and  Gunmen/Dog Shooters.  Needless to  say  that NDMC has allowed the benefit of SS Committee’s scales to Rat Catchers  and  Dog Catchers vide order  dated  27.7.1978  as already quoted above and we find to valid justification  for denying  such benefit to Duplicating Machine  Operators  and Gunmen/Dog Shooters.  When such benefit has been allowed  to Rat  Catchers  and  Dog  Catchers,  there  is  no  essential difference in the job work done by Genmen/Dog Shooters.  The Duplicating  Machine Operators are also Class  IV  employees and such post is transferable and interchangeable from other Class IV employees of the NDMC who have already been granted the  benefit of SSC’s pay-scales vide order  dated  9.6.1988 already mentioned above. In  Writ Petitoin No.3 of 1990, the petitioners are  working as Junior 423 Technical   Assistants  (Hindi)  and  are  also   known   as Translator  (Hindi).   In Writ Petition No.13 of  1990,  the petitioner is working on the post of Assistant Store-Keeper. Both the above posts of Junior technical Assistants  (Hindi) and Assistant Store-Keeper are such posts which clearly fall within the ministerial cadre.  Learned counsel appearing for the  NDMC  was  unable to show any material  on  record  for taking a contrary view. In  Writ Petition No.292 of 1990, the petitioners  are  pump drivers employed in the water supply, horticulture and civil wings  of NDMC.  The benefit of SSC pay-scales  has  already been  extended to the pump drivers in the  electricity  wing and  there in no valid ground or justification to deny  such benefit  to  the pump drivers working in the  water  supply, horticulture and civil wings of NDMC. In  Writ Petition No.1109 of 1990, the petitioners  are  the employees of Junior Navyug School run by NDMC.  In our view, the  employees  of the school though run by NDMC fall  in  a different  cadre  altogether and as such  cannot  claim  the benefit  of  SSC  pay-scales on the basis  of  R.D.  Gupta’s Judgment.   It  is  not  their case  that  their  posts  are interchangeable  or transferable from any other  post  under

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NDMC.    The  nature  and  the  duties  performed   by   the petitioners are totally different and they cannot be granted the  benefit  of  the SSC pay-scales on  the  basis  of  any equality  with  the other employees of NDMC  who  have  been granted such benefit. In Writ Petition No.409 of 1990, the petitioners are working as  Telephone Operators.  The Telephone Operators fall in  a separate  cadre and their posts are neither  interchangeable nor  transferable with the other members of the  service  in NDMC.   That  apart the petitioners  are  Trained  Telephone Operators and Senior Telephone Operators and as such do  not fall  within the category of ministerial staff and’-as  such are  not  entitled to the benefit of SSC pay-scales  on  the basis of R.D. Gupta’s case. In  the above cases we are only concerned with the  granting of  benefit of SSC pay-scales on the basis of  R.D.  Gupta’s case and as such we are holding that the petitioners working in  the Navyug School in Writ Petition No.1109 of  1990  and Telephone Operators in Writ Petition No. 409 of 1990 are not entitled  to  the  benefit of  the  SSC  pay-scales.   These petitioners  are  free to make their claim if any,  for  the revision of their pay-scales to the competent authorities. 424 In the result, we allow Writ Petition Nos. 1, 3, 5, 13,  and 292 of 1990 and grant them the benefit of SSC pay-scales  in the   same  manner  as  granted  to  other  employees   vide Resolution  No.26 dated 9.2.1988 read with Resolution  No.52 dated 9.6.1988. The respondent-Delhi Administration and NDMC shall  take  appropriate steps within three  months  of  the notice of this order and make payment of the entire  arrears and grant future benefit in the pay-scales as recommended by SS Committee.  The Writ Petition Nos.1109 of 1990 and 409 of 1990 are dismissed.  No order as to costs. P.S.S.                Petitions disposed of 425