Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The Supreme Court recently disposed of a writ petition where permanent employees of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee ("SCLSC") sought pay parity with other employees. The petition was disposed of with a request to the Chairman of the SCLSC, who is Justice Vikram Nath, to consider the representation of such employees and take an appropriate decision in this matter.

Before a comprising Justice Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, the petitioners, who are permanent employees of the SCLSC, contended that they had been placed in a lesser pay scale as compared to other outsourced or contractual employees or those employed on a deputation basis from the Supreme Court Registry.

The petitioner sought parity in pay scale with the employees working in the Supreme Court Registry. However, the bench found that the petitioner did not approach the competent authority, namely the Chairman of the SCLSC, for their grievances. Therefore, the Court directed that the representation must be made through the Secretary of the SCLSC within 2 weeks to the Chairman.

"Consequently, we dispose of these Special Leave Petitions with a request to the Hon'ble Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee to consider the representations, said to have been made by the permanent employees like the petitioners, and take an appropriate decision as may be deemed fit.

The Secretary of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee is directed to submit the proposal at the earliest but not later than two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order."

Case Details: HARISH BHARDWAJ & ORS v. UNION OF INDIA & ORS.|WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) Diary No(s).30437/2025

Click Here To Read Order

Appearances: Mr. Ranjit Kumar, Sr. Adv. Mr. Nishant Ramakantrao Katneshwarkar, AOR Mr. Vijay Singh, Adv. Mr. Shirirang Katneshwarkar, Adv.