Chandigarh, 26 January 2025: Assistant professors in Punjab’s medical education institutions will receive salaries as per the Punjab Medical Education (Group-A) Service Rules, 2016, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the state government’s challenge to a Punjab and Haryana High Court order.
The Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, upheld the high court’s verdict, stating, “We see absolutely no occasion to interfere with the well-considered order of the Division Bench of the high court, in exercise of our jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution.”
The case stemmed from grievances raised by doctors who argued that the state had arbitrarily applied lower central pay scales, despite their eligibility for the prescribed pay range of Rs 37,400 to Rs 67,000 with a grade pay of Rs 8,600 under the 2016 rules.
Initially, a Single Judge Bench ruled in favor of the doctors, directing the state to comply with the 2016 rules. On December 10, 2024, a Division Bench upheld this ruling, pulling up the state for what it termed “arbitrary and unreasonable” actions. “The doctors ought to be treated with respect and dignity and given their lawful dues under the rules,” the Division Bench remarked.
The state had contended that the advertisement and appointment letters prescribed lower pay scales, but the high court rejected the argument, asserting that executive instructions cannot override statutory rules. It deemed the state’s actions “capricious” and compelled by a lack of justification.
After exhausting options in the high court, the Punjab Government moved the Supreme Court. On January 20, the apex court dismissed the state’s plea, solidifying the doctors’ rights to the pay scale under the 2016 rules.
