In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court rejected the request recorded by Manish Kumar Rai in Manish Kumar Rai vs. Union of India & Ors., asserting the Armed Forces Tribunal's choice with respect to the pay structure of Artificers within the Indian Naval force. This case spun around the grievance raised by Artificers in specialized positions over their review pay beneath the 6th Pay Commission's suggestions.
The appellant, Manish Kumar Rai, worked as an Artificer III in the Indian Navy, a technical branch with highly skilled professionals. Artificers are classified into three categories (I, II, and III) depending on their technical skills and responsibilities. Following the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission, an issue occurred when Artificers in classes I, II, and III were awarded a lower grade pay of Rs. 3400, although non-technical Chief Petty Officers were paid Rs. 4200.
The appellant contended that Artificers in ranks III, II, and I hold equivalent ranks to Chief Petty Officers (non-technical) and should be entitled to the same grade pay. The Bombay High Court had directed the authorities to examine this issue, but the Naval Headquarters upheld the distinction in grade pay, leading to the case being transferred to the Armed Forces Tribunal, which dismissed the appellant’s claims.
The Supreme Court upheld the Tribunal’s decision, stating that while Artificers in ranks I, II, and III may hold equivalent ranks to Chief Petty Officers for seniority purposes, they cannot claim parity in grade pay with Chief Artificers. The Court emphasized that Chief Artificers hold a command position over lower-ranking Artificers and are eligible for promotion to higher posts such as Master Chief Artificer, justifying the difference in grade pay.
The judgment affirmed that the grade pay structure is not arbitrary, and Artificers III to I are positioned between Petty Officers and Chief Artificers in terms of pay. The appellant’s claim for equal grade pay was thus rejected.
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TAGS: Supreme Court Indian Navy Manish Kumar Rai Artificers grade pay 6th Pay Commission Chief Petty Officer Armed Forces Tribunal promotion Navy pay structure.
