Supreme Court stays Tripura HC verdict on regular pay scale from day one, issues notice to employees, and fixes March 9, 2026 hearing. Major relief to Tripura government in fixed pay constitutional challenge case.
The Supreme Court of India on Friday stayed the verdict of the High Court of Tripura that had directed the state government to grant regular pay scale benefits to employees from the very first day of their service.
The division bench of the Tripura High Court, headed by Chief Justice M S Ramachandra Rao, had earlier ruled that the fixed pay system adopted by the state was violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India, which guarantee equality before the law and equal opportunity in matters of public employment. The High Court observed that denying regular pay scales to employees from the date of initial appointment created an arbitrary classification and failed to meet constitutional standards.
In its judgment, the High Court directed that the appellants would be entitled to regular pay on a notional basis from the date of their initial appointment. However, the court limited the financial impact by ordering that arrears would be payable only for a period of three years prior to the filing of the respective writ petitions. The arrears were to carry an interest rate of nine per cent per annum and were to be paid within three months from the date of the judgment.
The legal battle began after a single bench of the Tripura High Court dismissed a similar petition challenging the fixed pay structure. The petitioners subsequently moved the division bench, which overturned the earlier order and delivered the ruling in favor of the employees.
Challenging this decision, the Government of Tripura approached the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). The matter was argued before the apex court by the Attorney General of India, representing the state government. After hearing preliminary submissions, the Supreme Court issued notices to the respondents, seeking their responses to the state’s appeal.
The stay granted by the apex court effectively halts the implementation of the High Court’s order until further adjudication. The next date of hearing in the matter has been scheduled for March 9, 2026.
Sources indicated that the Law Secretary of Tripura, Sankari Das, is currently stationed in New Delhi in view of the gravity and financial implications of the case. The outcome of the proceedings is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the state’s fiscal management and employment policies.
The High Court’s earlier ruling had been widely welcomed by employees’ associations and various organizations, many of whom urged the state government to implement the order rather than pursue further litigation. They argued that granting regular pay from the date of appointment would correct long-standing disparities and uphold constitutional guarantees of equality.
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With the Supreme Court’s intervention, the matter now enters a critical constitutional phase. The final verdict will not only determine the fate of thousands of employees in Tripura but could also set an important precedent for similar fixed pay policies adopted in other states across India.
